I Am Nobody
by proudmarveltrash
Summary: Emma Pierce was born Victoria Burnham, and has gone by a thousand names since her birth in 1783. With powers that seem to come and go and more than one government agency after her, it's no wonder she's learned to protect herself by becoming the world's loneliest introvert. When one young boy manages to break her walls, however, she can no longer deny her need to love and be loved.
1. Introduction

**Please read before starting the story!**

If you have ever read any of my stories before, you know that they usually start off a bit slow.

I'd like you to know that this story is no exception. The first chapter is an introduction to the character, and while it may not seem terribly interesting, it is vital for you to understand where she comes from.

I ask that for the first three chapters or so you stick with the story, because there will be a lot of time skips and they may be difficult to understand if you don't read them. Below are the first few skips to better understand the layout of the first few introductory chapters, with the Marvel Cinematic Timeline beginning in Chapter Six.

* * *

 **Time Skips:**

Chapter One: 1783-1803

Chapter Two: 1943

Chapter Three: 1976

Chapter Four: 1984

Chapter Five: 1991-1995

Chapter Six - End: MCU Timeline

* * *

 **MCU Timeline Explained:**

June 2004 – Tony kidnapped by Ten Rings (Begin Iron Man Plot)

October 2004 – Tony approached by SHIELD

2006 – Bruce becomes Hulk (Begin Incredible Hulk Plot)

2007 – SHIELD hired to track Bruce

April 2010 – Stark Expo Opens (Begin Iron Man 2 Plot)

May 2010 – Coulson assigned to New Mexico (Begin Thor Plot)

April 2011 – Steve found/woken up

June 2011 – Loki arrives on Earth (Begin Avengers Plot)

December 2011 – Malibu mansions destroyed (Begin Iron Man 3 Plot)

October 2013 – Project Insight introduced (Begin Winter Soldier Plot)

January 2014 – Avengers raid Sokovian HYDRA base (Begin Age of Ultron Plot)

 **This timeline does** **not** **represent everything Emma will/will not be involved in.**


	2. 1783-1803

**April 4, 1783 - Coventry, England**

* * *

The dark early morning's silence was broken by the wailing of a newborn babe on the outskirts of Coventry, though the cries were largely ignored by the girl's father who - instead of caring for his new daughter - wept at the side of the now dead mother. Death during childbirth was not an uncommon occurrence, but Mathias Burnham had every hope that his lovely Isabel would survive, given that she had lived through the birth of her first two healthy sons. And so the girl was held by the midwife, with the three remaining members of her family crowded around the mother she would never meet.

Shortly after dawn arrived, so did the two undertakers the midwife had offered to fetch. They carried Isabel away to be buried in the local graveyard, leaving Mathias to tend after his three children by himself.

Victoria - as she was later named - entered this world the cause of a great tragedy. This was what many would refer to as an ill omen for, even though they did not know it yet, Victoria was not any normal young girl. She was gifted, or rather cursed, by whatever higher power there was in the largely undiscovered universe with genetic mutations that would go unnoticed for the first few years of her life.

* * *

 **January 21, 1795 - Coventry, England**

* * *

This was the first time Victoria showed any indications of being different from the regular folk she had been growing up with. Luckily for her, she was alone the first time she experienced a snag.

She had been assigned needlework homework by the tutor she shared with her older brothers, and although she loved to learn, she loathed needlework. She thought it pointless, and somewhat beneath her - but most definitely not because she was absolutely horrid at needlework, she insisted. It was because she wanted to learn the things her brother learned, not silly girly things.

This anger and stress continued to build until Victoria could stand it no longer, and unwittingly caused her first time manipulation. It was a minor fluctuation, practically undetectable if you hadn't been expecting it, but a fluctuation all the same.

Time bent to her emotions, flickering backwards only a second. Victoria herself wouldn't have noticed it were it not for the fact that she had felt the subtle shift in herself at being disconnected from time itself. Of course, as a fairly uneducated girl of only twelve years old, she had no idea _what_ had caused that feeling, but she had the feeling that it was unnatural, and that it would happen again.

* * *

 **October 17, 1798 - Coventry, England**

* * *

These accidents became more frequent as Victoria grew older, and she became increasingly reclusive to keep it a secret. At first it didn't bother her family - they thought she was simply shy. But when the age came for Mathias to start finding Victoria a suitor, he tried everything to get her into the public eye. Promises, assurances, even threats. Nothing could convince her to leave her room.

One day he'd had enough of her foolishness and stormed into the room, determined on either setting her straight or simply dragging her out. However, what he found in the room he was sure was not his daughter.

A pathetic excuse for a girl, clutching her head as she twitched and shivered. Her father didn't realize it, but this was what Victoria called one of her 'dark times'. When she became too emotional or stressed, she lost control of her abilities and moved randomly throughout a small period of time.

On the inside, this made Victoria feel nauseous and confused. On the outside, she looked as if she was jerking randomly. "I told you to stay out," she muttered to her horror-struck father.

The only people he had ever seen look like this were the lunatics that were dragged off to the asylum. Not knowing how to react in such a situation, Mathias simply turned and walked out, leaving his teenage daughter to suffer in solitude.

Hours later, long after the sun had gone down, Victoria finally left her room. She had gone into the kitchen hoping to find something to eat before she went to bed, but what she found instead was her father sitting at the table with his hands folded tightly in front of him. Without looking up, he spoke in a harsh yet quiet tone.

"If you aren't gone in the morning, I'm going to have you committed."

Victoria experienced a range of emotions from all the way from confused to angry before finally settling on hurt. She knew that there was something wrong with her- she had known for the last three years- and she knew that she had no argument that would change her father's mind.

She turned, and walked back into her bedroom without a word. Once inside, she packed a small bag with what little money she had and stuffed it into one of the pockets in her simple dress.

Other than that, all she took was the same necklace originally owned by her great-grandmother and passed down until it was given to her on her tenth birthday. It felt almost like stealing, since she was leaving her family, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the silver pendant behind.

When she left her room again, her father was gone. Since she already felt terrible, she figured taking a bit of food couldn't do any more damage than had already been done. Still, she took only a couple apples and half a loaf of bread, all wrapped into a black handkerchief and hidden along with her money.

She didn't know what her father would tell her brothers, her tutor or the neighbors. She doubted it would be the truth. Once she was out of the house, she had no idea where she would go.

Settling for simply walking until she found a place to stay, Victoria left her home behind.

* * *

 **May 29, 1803 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania**

* * *

After living on the streets of England for four years, Victoria had finally made enough money to buy passage to America. She hadn't seen or heard from her family since the night she left, and she figured they assumed her dead at this point. She had certainly come close a few times. One time in particular stuck out in her mind. It had been a little over three years ago now.

After only a few months of being homeless, Victoria had resorted to pickpocketing as a means of survival. One man, however, had caught her red-handed and was intent on turning her in to the police. She struggled against his grip, yelling for him to let her go, for only a few steps before he suddenly released her, causing her to fall back onto the brick pavement. The man seemed dazed as he walked away, leaving Victoria confused and dirty.

This was how Victoria discovered her second ability, and began using it for means that were less than honorable. As long as she was in contact with a person, she could persuade them to do almost anything. Some people were harder than others to manipulate, but the more often she used this power the easier it became.

She didn't _enjoy_ using people, but when you spend years groveling to people who at best would tell you to bugger off, and at worst give you a reason to run away as quickly as you could, you found yourself caring less and less about whether you hurt people or not. Another thing you learned was that it was usually best if people didn't know who you were.

And so, upon arriving in Philadelphia, Victoria Burnham died, and Rachel Platt was born.


	3. 1943

**November 18, 1943 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma**

* * *

 _We Want YOU!_

 _Captain America Tour_

 _See the Star Spangled Man With A Plan TODAY!_

 _November 17, 18, and 19 - Oklahoma City_

I tilted my head at the sight of the patriotic poster that had been taped inside of the elevator I usually took up to my apartment. After reading it, I chuckled under my breath and shook my head to myself. They had been promoting this supposed Super Soldier the last few months, but judging by the news I'd heard about him, he was no more than another show girl.

There was nothing wrong with being a show girl, but they could at least be honest about what he was. Not that it really mattered, anyway. His 15 minutes of fame would be over with soon enough, and Captain America would be nothing more than a vague memory.

Everyone had blurred together these last few years, from Charlie Chaplin to Ruby Keller and now Captain America. Since films had first been introduced I found them fascinating, but stars were too easily forgotten these days.

I'd seen it happen a hundred times over- that's the nature of fame. The people remembered you for a few months, a few years if you were lucky, then one day you were suddenly nothing more than an annoying anecdote from your grandparents. It was always the same story.

I really shouldn't sound so disappointed. My life would definitely be a whole lot harder if I was so easily remembered. It would be pretty difficult to explain how I was still around after 160 years, especially in the body of a 25 year old.

When the elevator doors opened on my floor, I stepped out and straight into a trap.

"Marilyn? Marilyn, hi!"

 _Kill me now_. "Hey, Darla," I smiled. Darla lived in the apartment next to me, and was _much_ too chipper for my tastes. I tried to avoid personal relationships as a general rule of thumb, but she was a special case. I had the distinct feeling that even if I was trying to make friends, she wouldn't be one of them. Not that she wasn't a good person- she was a real sweetheart- but the constant smiling and laughing was just a bit creepy. My only solace was that I was going to be moving soon, so I would only have to deal with her for another few weeks.

"Have you seen that Captain America is in town?" She followed me back down the hallway she'd just come from as I made my way towards my door. "He's only going to be here until tomorrow, and you just _know_ that closing night will be packed. I already have tickets because I was hoping to go with Thomas, but I just found out he's working late tonight and can't make it. Why don't you come with me?"

"Oh, jeez." I hummed in fake thought as I unlocked and pushed open my apartment door with the hand that wasn't holding a paper bag full of groceries. "I don't know, Darla. It was kind of a rough day at the office. I was planning on just eating dinner and heading to bed early tonight."

"Nonsense!" She waved a hand as if physically swatting the idea away before following me inside. To her credit, she did take the groceries from me and start putting them away. I had to remind myself sometimes to be nice to her just because she was always so nice to me. "Seeing a show will get your mind off of things. Besides," she leaned towards me as if telling a secret, smirking with one eyebrow raised. "Captain America is a _total_ babe."

" _Darla_."

"Come on, Lyn! We'll dress up real nice and spiffy, take a cab out to the theatre." She finished the groceries by putting a pint of milk in the refrigerator and practically slamming the door before pinning her fists on her hips and grinning widely at me. "We could even go dancing afterwards! We might even catch a nice fella's attention for you."

I pretended to gag when she winked, causing her to burst into a laughing fit. When she calmed down, I sighed and dropped my head into my hands, resting my elbows on the kitchen counter as we started an unintended staring contest. I didn't have any reason to not go, and I didn't actually have any plans for tonight either. Besides, if I went to this show with Darla then I could probably hold her off until I left Oklahoma.

"Fine," I conceded, throwing my hands up in defeat. She squealed and clapped, causing me to instantly regret my decision.

The next two hours flew by as Darla insisted on taking me over to her apartment to get ready. She treated me like her own personal dress up doll, lending me one of her new dresses and doing my hair and makeup. Once we were both dolled up to her standards, we took a taxi to the local theatre and walked inside.

Despite Darla insisting that this would be the slowest night, it was still filled to the roof with chattering men and women. Thanks to Darla pre-purchasing the tickets, we were able to sit in the middle of the second row. Shortly after we sat, all the lights except the ones on the stage dimmed and the chorus girls dressed completely in red, white and blue came running out while everyone applauded.

When the music started, they began marching in place as Captain America came out with a huge smile.

 _"Who's strong and brave here to save the American way?"_

"Not all of us can storm a beach, or drive a tank, but there's still a way all of us can fight."

 _"Who vows to fight like a man for what's right night and day?"_

"Series E Defense Bonds! Each one you buy is a bullet in the barrel of your best guy's gun."

 _"Who will campaign door-to-door for America? Carry the flag shore-to-shore for America! From Hoboken to Spokane, the Star Spangled Man With A Plan! We can't ignore there's a threat and a war we must win! Who'll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons from Berlin? Who will redeem, head the call for America? Who'll rise or fall, give his all for America? Who's here to prove that we can? The Star Spangled Man With A Plan!"_

A man in an embellished Hitler costume crept onto the stage, followed by the gasps of many audience members, and slowly slinking behind the chorus line with a pistol in his hand. Despite the shouts of many children warning him, Captain America kept his back to the chorus as he continued his speech.

"We all know this is about winning the war. We can't do that without bullets and bandages, tanks and cannons. That's where you come in. Every bond you buy will help protect someone you love. With our boys armed and ready, the Germans will think twice about trying to get the drop on us."

Just as 'Hitler' jumped out from behind the girls, Captain America turned around and 'punched' him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. The crowd went wild- especially the children- as the song ended on a high note with everyone saluting the Captain.

The show ended after another few songs by the girls, and I thought that it was time to go home. Darla was absolutely appalled at the idea of leaving without taking a picture with Captain America first, and after another short argument I finally relented. She dragged me over to where there was a line of people waiting to have their picture taken with the icon. I shouldn't have been surprised by the fact that so many people- especially young women- were fawning over this guy. He was the poster boy of adorable innocence. Add that on top of his inherent patriotism during wartime and _boom -_ you're making bank.

Luckily the line wasn't too long, and we only had to wait a few minutes before it was our turn to stand in front of the camera. The Captain had taken his mask off- which did nothing to quiet the squealing girls- and was smiling shyly at us when we walked up. Darla looked like she was about to faint as she waved weakly at the man with wide eyes and an even wider smile. "Hi," she sighed dreamily, holding her hand out.

The Captain shook her hand for a little too long, thanks to Darla refusing to let go. "It's, uh, nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Darla," she quickly informed him. He nodded and repeated the name before turning to me, mimicking her earlier action by extending his hand.

"Marilyn. Nice to meet you, Captain." I shook his hand briefly, offering him a quick smile before looking back at Darla.

Resisting the urge to fall into a fit of laughter at just how mesmerized she was, I took pity on her and the other anxiously waiting fans by grabbing her shoulders and positioning her next to Captain America. "Breathe," I whispered in her ear before pinching her arm to shake her from her fugue state. "You have a boyfriend." I stepped out of the frame for the picture after giving up on calming her down. I had learned a while back that being photographed was not conducive to living a nomadic lifestyle.

Right before the flash went off, Darla looked up to Captain America with bright eyes, her hands wrapped around his arm. He looked flustered by the close contact, not as if it bothered him, but more like he wasn't used to having women literally hang off of him. That was hard to believe, judging by his recent boom in popularity, but I had never cared enough to look into his backstory, so what did I know?

After the picture was taken, I had to walk over and practically pry Darla's hands off the man, flashing him an apologetic smile. "Sorry about her, Captain. I'll just go ahead and get her out of your hair now. Good luck with the war and whatnot."

He chuckled nervously, watching me pull her away for a moment before turning to the next person in line to take a picture with him.

I had to practically drag her out of the building, but once we were out Darla couldn't stop rambling on and on about, _"Did you see that? We totally bonded!"_ and _"Maybe you didn't feel it, but_ _I_ _felt it, Lyn! We're connected!"_

Fortunately or unfortunately, however you choose to look at it, that was the last time I ever went out with Darla. Nine weeks later I had changed my name to Bonnie Walters and accepted a job as a bakery sales clerk in Roswell, New Mexico.


	4. 1976

**March 18, 1976 - New York City, New York**

* * *

"Miss Pierce?" I looked up from the floor when my (current) name was called, returning the receptionist's soft smile. "Mr. Stark will see you now."

Standing from my seat away from the few other people applying for this job, I walked towards the elevator with my forged resume in hand. It was no secret that Howard Stark had trouble with journalists in the past due to most of them not appreciating his sarcasm or wit, and thanks to my connections made in journalism over the last few years I found out that he was currently on the hunt for a publicist.

It certainly wouldn't be an easy job, but when you get to be my age you realize that the more difficult jobs are always much more exciting.

The elevator carried me up to the very top floor, and when I stepped out I found myself in a smaller, emptier reception area. Looking through the windows at the Washington skyline I was once again blown away by how far architecture had come in the last decade.

The receptionist- Kelly, according to the nameplate on her desk- smiled and stood from her seat when she spotted me. "You must be Miss Pierce." I nodded and shook her hand when she offered it before she pointed towards a closed door. "Mr. Stark is right in here. If you'll follow me."

I walked through the door when she opened it, looking over the large, open office as she informed Howard of who I was. "Emma Pierce, right!" He stood from his desk to come forward and shake my hand, which I did with a smile. "Great to meet you. You can go, Kelly."

She took her leave while Howard moved to sit back against his desk, crossing his arms loosely over his chest after pointing towards a seat in front of him where I sat. "Oh, you won't need that." He pointed towards the resume in my lap. "I just have a few questions for you. First: who's your favorite band?"

I raised one eyebrow, a small laugh bubbling up while my lips twitched up into a smile. "The Rolling Stones."

He nodded approvingly. "Any family?"

"Not anymore, no."

"What's your policy on lying?"

"That depends," I shrugged. This was certainly the most unconventional interview I'd ever been in, but if this was how he wanted to conduct it, who was I to refuse? "If there's a good enough reason behind the lie, like protecting somebody, then I think a lie might even be better than the truth."

"What's the longest you've ever gone without sleeping?"

I had to think about that one, narrowing my eyes thoughtfully and glancing out the window as I hummed quietly to myself. "Hmm. Probably... six days?"

"What's your opinion on children?"

"Oh, they're all right." I clicked my tongue, bobbing my head slightly to the side. "I wouldn't say I have a lot of experience with them, but how hard can they be? They're just little people."

He uncrossed his arms to rest his hands at his sides, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the desk. "I'm going to be honest with you, Emma. When I told Jack that I was looking for an assistant-"

"He said you were looking for a publicist, actually."

"-what I really meant was that I need somebody to look after my son while I'm busy. Which is always."

I stared blankly at him, waiting for the punch line... No? Not coming. "You're serious."

"I live a very active life," Howard tried to explain, moving his hands to lay connected in his lap. "Maria and I are almost never home, and when we are we're both too busy with work to give Tony attention. Due to that, he's taken to interrupting me in my office. I've tried to explain that I'm not ignoring him because I want to. He's too young to understand..."

It seemed he was talking more to himself than to me at this point, his eyes trailing to the wall behind me with a thoughtful expression as he went silent. He really was serious. He wanted me to be a _babysitter_. I'd heard a million and one stories about the Starks being over-the-top, sarcastic, extravagant people, so I guess this shouldn't really be a surprise.

Besides, the last kids I had spent any extended time with were my brothers back in England, and that was almost 200 years ago. Maybe it was about time I delved back into the world of children. How hard could it really be? Howard still hadn't continued speaking, so I decided to be the one who brought the conversation back to life. "I'll do it."

His eyes snapped back to me and at first he looked confused, like he had forgotten I was even there. He recovered quickly though, a bright smile lighting up his face. "Wonderful! You can come by the house tomorrow to meet Tony and Maria. I'm sure they'll both love you. We already have a guest room set up- I thought you would say yes- and I'll take care of any moving expenses, of course."

He continued to ramble on about how I would be making the transition into the household, standing from his desk to haphazardly toss papers around, searching for the contract he had written up. When he couldn't find it he called Kelly in. "Where's the contract for Miss Pierce?"

"Top drawer on the left," she answered confidently with a smile.

She was already backing out of the room but the time Howard pulled it out of the drawer with a triumphant, "Aha! Thank you, Kelly."

"Any time, Mr. Stark."

"Lovely girl," he complimented with a nod, grabbing a pen and slapping both items down on the desk in front of me. I had to stand to reach them, but as soon as they were signed he clapped his hands. "Wonderful! I'm glad that's all sorted. I'll have Jarvis drive you home. You can talk to him about when to pick you up tomorrow morning, too."

"Right." I nodded, trying to remember everything he was saying. He does love to prattle, doesn't he? "I'll do that. Until tomorrow, then."

Before he could go off on another tangent, I excused myself from the room. If nothing else, this would at least be an adventure.

* * *

 **March 19, 1976 - Long Island, New York**

* * *

Just as we had discussed, Jarvis showed up at my apartment to pick me up at 11 AM. The drive to the Stark Mansion was long, but he kept it pleasant by answering any questions I had. Usually they were about the job and Tony himself. "He's different than most children," Jarvis explained. "He's incredibly intelligent, especially for his age. He can be... difficult to handle, though that's through no real fault of his own."

I turned from looking out the window to inspect Jarvis, watching for any facial cues. "What do you mean by that?

He took a moment to answer, first pursing his lips as he considered how to continue. "Tony and his father have a strange relationship. While Mr. Stark truly does care for his son, he tends to let his work get in the way of personal relationships. I try my best to keep them civil, but there's only so much I can do. Like I said, Tony can be difficult to handle." He glanced at me from the corner of his eye with a small, polite smile before returning his eyes to the road. "Perhaps you'll do better in that area. Tony needs a friend. I hope you can be that for him."

Wow. No pressure or anything. "I'm not very well-versed in children," I admitted.

"Neither is Tony." We both chuckled at that, though his had a sad undertone to it that made me wonder just how bad Tony's social life was. As we pulled up to the gate of the mansion, Jarvis looked to me while waiting for it to open. "May I offer you a piece of advice?"

"Oh, please. I'll need all the help I can get."

"I know that you're being brought here to look after Tony, but you shouldn't treat him as if he's incapable of independence. He usually refuses help when it's offered, and he resents being treated as anything less than an equal. If you want to be successful here, I suggest you treat him not as a helpless child, but as a friend."

I thought about Jarvis' advice as we drove up to the front of the house and the entire walk through the foyer. I generally tried to make as few friends as possible to avoid heartbreak later down the line, but maybe it would be different with a kid. I wasn't pulled out of my contemplation until a woman dressed in a maid's outfit walked in with a young boy that was no taller than my waist. "Tony, this is Miss Pierce," Jarvis introduced.

Tony stared me down with a look of deep concentration, furrowing his eyebrows and thinning his lips. It was honestly one of the most adorable things I'd ever seen, and I already knew that trying to keep any sort of distance from him would be impossible. "Do you play games?" he finally asked.

I glanced at Jarvis to see if he had an answer, but he was looking in the opposite direction. Gee, thanks for the help, buddy. "It depends on the game," I tried, turning back to Tony. "If it's a boring game, absolutely not."

"How do you know it's boring if you haven't played?" he shot back, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If you explain the game, I'll know whether it sounds fun or not. Besides, I'm very intuitive."

"So you won't make me play games if I don't want to?"

"Definitely not," I shook my head. "You don't make me play, I won't make you play. I'm not here to force you into anything stupid."

He narrowed his eyes further, humming quietly. After another moment of considering this, he broke out into a smile. "I like you. You can stay."

I heard Jarvis cough, but when I looked over I saw him hiding a smile behind his hand. "I'm so glad you approve," I told Tony with just a hint of sarcasm, though I knew he caught it by the small shift in his smile that turned it into more of a smirk.

He walked forward and grabbed onto my hand, pulling me deeper into the house. "Come on. I'm going to show you the engine I'm working on in the garage. It's not done yet, so you can be my building assistant. That means you'll give me my tools and stuff when I ask for them. Wait!" He stopped and looked back over his shoulder to glare at me. "Do you know anything about building things?"

"Please," I scoffed. "You really think you have an idiot for a nanny? Bring it on, kid."

He nodded approvingly before returning to dragging me around. "Good. I can't stand stupid people. I think you'll be much more fun than those other girls my dad hired. So, like I was saying."

* * *

After a very long day of following Tony around while he showed everything he had been working on over the last few months, it was time for my first real test- getting him into bed. Jarvis had very affectionately warned me at dinner that trying to make Tony go to sleep was like trying to make an atheist go to church. It didn't happen without a lot of persistence, and a lot of persuasion.

With that in mind, when 11 o'clock rolled around I knew that it was way past time for him to get to bed. Luckily, I'd had a bit of time to prepare for this. "Remember when I said I wasn't here to make you do stupid things?"

Tony lowered his wrench to look at me, knitting his eyebrows slightly. "Yeah. Why?"

"I'm gonna have to make you do a stupid thing."

He groaned, dropping the wrench onto his workbench. "But you were doing so well!"

"Don't get whiny just yet. Now look, you're supposed to be in bed by nine, right?" He nodded cautiously, obviously intrigued but wary. "It's already 11, so I should have made you put the engine away two hours ago. But since I like you a lot more than I like your dad, I'm going to let you stay up until 12 so you have time to get to a good stopping place. How does that sound?"

He adopted the same thinking look he wore while working, glancing back and forth between me and the engine sitting in front of him. "Deal," he decided with a little smile.

I got him into bed that night a lot easier than I'd expected, which was a huge relief. After getting him into the bed and letting him pull the blankets up by himself, I insisted on tucking him in. "I know you can do it yourself," I explained. "But I want to."

He sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Fine. If it makes you happy."

A small grin settled on my face as I fixed him up comfortably before bopping his forehead. "All done. I'll see you in the morning."

Before I could take more than a few steps away from his bed, Tony called out to stop me. "I like you, Emma. And I don't like a lot of people."

I stopped to turn back and smile at him. "I like you too, little man. Now get some sleep. We'll have more fun tomorrow."

"How long will you stay?"

"Why do you ask?"

He sat back up in the bed, fiddling with the blanket. "Everyone else always leaves. My mom said it's because they just don't know how to deal with me because I'm different than other kids. But you're different than them, right? You're not stupid."

"No, I'm not stupid," I chuckled. This was a dangerous path I was treading, but it seemed worth it for this kid. I'd only known him a day, but I was already attached and I damn well knew it. It would suck later, but for now I was happier than I'd been in a long while. "I'll stay as long as you want me to. Okay?"

"Okay," he nodded, dropping back onto the pillow and snuggling into the bed. "Goodnight, Emma."

"Goodnight, Tony."


	5. 1986

**May 22, 1986 - Long Island, New York**

* * *

I had lived with the Stark for ten years now, and I knew that eventually I was going to have to leave. This is the problem with becoming attached to people- I didn't want to go. Tony's sixteenth birthday was only a few days away, and his need for a nanny had passed at least three years ago. The only reason I was still around was because I had taken Jarvis' advice so long ago and befriended Tony. Not only that, but I considered myself quite close to the entire Stark family.

Over the years I spent a bit of time with Tony's parents, quickly falling for the Stark charm. Howard could be a real piece of work when it came to personal issues, but overall it was difficult to resist calling him a friend. Maria was lovely, dedicating most of her time to throwing their money at any charity she could find. She did make an effort to be a part of Tony's life, which I knew he appreciated even if he would never admit it. I adored Jarvis, falling easily in love with his quick wit and dry sense of humor.

Tony I loved especially. I had left my brothers at such a young age, and never dared to become close to anyone else after what had happened with my father. But Tony was unlike anyone I had ever met. He was an indisputable genius with an amazing humor that usually contained mockery, but in a way where at least I knew he was joking and would laugh along with him. He rarely offered much in the way of compliments, but when he did it only made me love him that much more.

It was my job to plan a party for him, but the thought that I was going to have to leave sooner or later weighed heavily on my mind and was putting me in a foul mood, preventing me from getting any real work done. I was sitting at the desk in my room, mindlessly tapping a pen with one hand while using the other to twist my pendant in between my fingers when he appeared out of nowhere, speaking over my shoulder. "Daydreaming again, Emma?"

I jumped, my hands slapping down against the table with a small shout of surprise. While Tony laughed at my reaction, I shot him a weary glare before sighing. "I don't _daydream_. I was just lost in thought."

"Daydreaming," Tony nodded. "That's the definition."

"Do you have a reason for bothering me, or are you just being your usual annoying self?"

"A bit of both." He smiled, moving around me to lean his shoulder against the wall and cross his arms over his chest. "I'm bored."

"And I'm busy. Guess we're both in a bit of a situation, huh?"

"Maybe. But it's your job to keep me entertained."

I scoffed, picking my pen back up and returning my attention to the little work I had done. "It's my job to make sure you don't die. So unless you're having a heart attack-" he clutched his chest and rolled his eyes upwards, groaning loudly "-and are here to tell me so that I can finally dance on your grave-"

"Harsh."

"-then go away."

"Why do you hate me?" He pouted, sighing dramatically. "We used to have so much fun together, Em. Now you're just a stupid adult."

"I've been an adult since you met me," I corrected, still staring down at the mostly blank paper.

"You haven't always been stupid, though. That's a recent occurrence."

"I'm not stupid, T. I'm just stressed."

"Then come decompress with me!" he urged, coming closer to pull at my shoulder. "I'm trying to improve the computer I got to make it run faster. You can come be my building assistant again! You haven't helped me on a project in months."

I sighed, rubbing my eyes tiredly. "I haven't helped you because you always insist you don't need my help."

"Well of course I don't _need_ your help, but these last few months you haven't been yourself. You just walk around like a zombie, always too stuck in your head to have any fun. You used to be a lot of fun. What happened?"

God, I wish I could actually tell you. "Nothing, little man. Just... go to the garage, okay? I really need to get this work done as soon as possible. We can talk later."

His smile fell while his hand slid off my shoulder and he took a step backwards, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah. Whatever you say, Dad."

I ran my hands over my face with an annoyed groan. "You know it's not the same thing."

"No, I get it. Work is more important. That's how it is in this house. I just didn't expect you to get poisoned the way everyone else does when they come here."

"Tony-"

"Whatever. I'll be in the garage."

I kept the back of my hands pressed against my eyes while he marched out of the room, slamming the door behind himself. When he was gone I dropped my head onto the desk, letting out a loud, long groan. I wanted to blame his attitude on being a teenager, but I knew that it was my fault. I had been pulling away from him for a while now, trying to make the transition easier for when I left.

It sucked, but this was how it had to be. How it always had been. How it always would be.

If I was going to bail on Tony, I was at least going to make my last week with him count. Lifting my head, I uncapped my pen and set back to planning the last birthday I would be a part of.

* * *

 **May 29, 1986- New York City, New York**

* * *

When Tony's birthday finally rolled around, I was both relieved to finally be finished with all the work that went into planning and dreading the end of today. I had discussed my resignation with Howard yesterday, and while he expressed that he was sad to see me go that he understood Tony was old enough to not need me anymore. I didn't bother trying to explain that wasn't why I was leaving, instead deciding to let him believe whatever made the change easier for him.

I had booked a venue in the city and invited a bunch of kids from Tony's school along with the business colleagues Howard had requested. He gave me a bonus to go out and buy a new outfit for the party, which I appreciated even if I had more money than I knew what to do with at this point. I had worked on and off for decades, and at this point it was mostly as a cover to help with my identity which is why I only worked jobs I enjoyed.

The dress I picked was a dark blue with one strap that wrapped around the back of my neck and beading that formed an upside-down triangle leading down the bodice. It stopped just above the knee, which was very freeing- much better than the outfits I used to wear. Adding a pair of low black heels and wearing my hair loose, I finished getting ready just on time for Jarvis to knock on my door and inform me that we were about to leave.

The party was in full swing by eight o'clock, with music playing over speakers placed around the room and tables full of food stretching across three of the four long walls. Red and gold- Tony's favorite colors- balloons and streamers hung from the ceiling with a banner above the front doors that read "HAPPY 16TH TONY". It turned out quite well, if I do say so myself.

There was a small bar in the corner for the adults in attendance, though I knew that sooner or later Tony would try to sneak alcohol. He truly was his father's child, whether he admitted it or not. I was at the bar ordering myself a drink when I was approached by a man I didn't recognize, but considering the only people I really knew here were the ones I lived with I wasn't surprised to see an unfamiliar face.

"Emma Pierce?" he asked, offering his hand. I nodded and shook his hand. "I'm Nick Fury. I work with Howard."

"Right, Nick," I nodded. "He's mentioned you. You're training over at SHIELD, if I remember correctly. Howard's protégé. How did you know my name?"

"Howard has mentioned you more than a few times. He says he's never seen anyone else handle his son so well." I chuckled and shrugged, sipping at my drink that I almost spit out at his next words. "He also mentioned that you've aged beautifully."

After choking down my drink, I set it on the bar counter and patted my chest a few times. "How sweet of him."

"He said that you're thirty-seven?"

"How dare he discuss my age," I avoided, drumming my fingers against the rim of my glass. "Doesn't he know to never mention a woman's age or weight?"

"I hope I haven't offended you," Nick apologized, spreading his hands out in front of himself diplomatically. "It's just notable how you don't look a day over twenty."

"Well, that's very nice of you to say." I hadn't persuaded anyone in a while, but Nick was broaching just a bit too far into unwelcome territory so I clapped my hand on his shoulder with a smile. "I'd really rather not discuss it, however."

He nodded, returning my smile. "Of course. I'll leave you to it, then. Nice to meet you."

I waited for him to walk away before letting out a sigh and picking my drink back up. "I'm gonna need another one of these," I told the bartender before downing the scotch in one go. After he poured another glass for me, I scooped that one up and wandered further into the crowd. I found it a little odd that Howard discussed me at work, but I guess it isn't too far-fetched. I had visited once or twice and met another one of his colleagues. Actually, she had been invited to this party. I wonder if she came...

"Emma!"

Oh, she has! I looked back over at my shoulder at the sound of the familiar voice, smiling at the older woman. I waited for her to catch up to where I was standing before speaking. "I'm glad you made it, Peggy."

"Howard would kill me if I missed another one of his parties," Peggy dismissed, clicking her tongue.

"You do realize that this is Tony's party, right?"

Peggy gave me a withering look, raising one eyebrow. "Oh, darling. Everything Howard is involved in revolves solely around him. I thought you'd learned that by now."

I nodded knowingly, glancing around the room for said egoist. I spotted Howard standing with a group of some of the older guests, a good distance away from the younger crowd. "Believe me," I sighed, turning back to Peggy. "I've learned that quite well."

"Speaking of Howard, he told me that you'll be leaving soon."

I could tell by the look on her face that she wanted a better explanation than Tony's age. Even though I liked her, I didn't trust her- or anyone- enough to give the full truth, so I went for a half-truth instead. "Tony's getting older, but so am I. There's more that I want to do with my life than be a glorified babysitter for a kid who doesn't need babysitting."

Peggy pursed her lips, taking a moment to mull over my words before responding. "We all have our secrets, love. I won't pry into yours. But if you're going to leave, you must promise you'll speak with Tony. He deserves an explanation from you. A _real_ one. No matter how old that boy gets, he will always need a friend. Nobody can ever be truly independent without being unhappy."

"He won't be alone. He still has you, and Jarvis, and his friends. You know, the ones his age."

"It isn't the same." She shook her head with a small smile, gently patting my cheek. "You're special, darling. Howard knows it, and I know it. Perhaps it's about time Tony knew it too." Just as I was beginning to worry that my cover was blown, Peggy lowered her hand from my face and took a deep breath. "Well, I should be going. I know you don't want to be seen with an old woman in front of all these children. You take care of yourself, Emma. And do keep in touch."

"Sure," I lied with a smile. Peggy was never one to be fooled, but at least she was also never one to call you out without reason. So she just smiled one more time before walking away while I sighed again. Tonight was turning out to be a lot more trouble than I wanted it to be.

"Time to open the gifts!"

I turned towards the stage at the announcement, where one of Tony's friends was standing in front of the microphone. Tony joined him up on the stage and slapped his back before taking the mic from him. "All right, let's see what we've got."

The gifts ranged from over-the-top to just plain ridiculous. Seriously, were all of Tony's friends as rich as he was? It took a while, but eventually he got to my gift. I was standing a bit away from the stage and crowd, preferring to keep my face as unknown as possible. He pulled the box into his lap, unraveling the bow and tossing the lid onto the floor next to him.

The first thing he pulled out was a small envelope that he ripped open, reading the card to himself. I saw the smallest twitch of a smile at the corner of his lips that in turn made me smile. It was only a short note that said who the present was from and that he better put it to good use, but with Tony you never needed many words. Just the ones that mattered.

After reading the letter he set it to the side and pulled the actual gift out. It was a rectangular, black metal box with a silver handle and lock. The keys were already in the lock, so he twisted them and lifted the lid. The audience couldn't see what was inside, but seeing as I was the one it was from, I knew exactly what Tony was seeing.

A brand new set of specially made tools, all beautifully polished and each design unique. I had ordered them just for him, having used my knowledge from our time together to know exactly how he used which tools and designing them myself. Every tool had his initials engraved onto them, so that he always knew which ones were from me and that there were exclusively his.

After running his hands through the contents, he smiled and closed the lid. He held it in his lap for just a moment before reverting to his public persona he loved to use by setting the tools with the rest of his presents and asking for the next one.

The party ended soon after Tony had gone through the last of the gifts, with everyone wishing him a happy birthday one last time before leaving. A cleanup crew had been hired by Howard to take care of the mess, so as soon as the guests were gone we were ready to head back home.

It was already well past midnight by the time we made it back to Long Island, a few of the hired help taking care of the cars and putting away presents while the rest of us simply walked inside. Howard and Maria both offered Tony another happy birthday before saying goodnight and heading upstairs to their room. Jarvis simply smiled at me and patted Tony's shoulder before returning to his room as well.

I wanted to explain to Tony that I would be leaving tomorrow, but I didn't want to ruin his night. That's what I was going to tell myself, at least. Instead, I wrapped one arm around his neck and ruffled his hair. "Goodnight, T."

"Thanks for the tools."

Tony rarely thanked people, so I smiled and kissed the top of his head. "Sure thing."

He immediately pulled away from me and messed up his hair, groaning loudly. "Gross, Em!"

I just laughed and shoved him as I made my way to my bedroom, about ready to pass out after an extremely long week. "Whatever, little man. I know you love it."

* * *

 **May 30, 1986 – Long Island, New York**

* * *

I sat on my stripped bed, staring at the single bag I had packed to bring with me sitting next to my bedroom door. The only part of leaving I had left was walking out the door, and I still hadn't told Tony. The more I considered the different reactions he might have, the harder it became to convince myself to tell him instead of simply leaving. That's what I had always done, but I had also never had somebody close to me like Tony. I dressed him, fed him, took him to school. Sometimes I had to remind myself that I wasn't actually his mother.

Jarvis was already waiting outside in the car to bring me to the airport, but I couldn't bring myself to stand up. I was too busy thinking about what Peggy had said to me at Tony's party the night before. _"But if you're going to leave, you must promise you'll speak with Tony. He deserves an explanation from you. A_ _real_ _one."_

No matter how remarkably intelligent, Tony was still just a kid. How could I possibly explain my situation to him? Knowing him as well as I do, he would invent a million and three reasons for me to stay. He would never willingly let me walk out. Not unless I lied and broke his heart that he tried so hard to pretend wasn't there, and who knows what that would do to him.

I finally stood from my bed and walked towards the untouched desk, picking up a pen and holding it over a blank piece of paper. I may be too selfish to talk to Tony, but I couldn't bring myself to simply up and leave with no explanation whatsoever either.

 _T-_

 _You don't need me looking over your shoulder to make sure you're safe anymore. You haven't for a long time. And I know that you're going to feel a lot of things after I'm gone- even if you won't admit that yes, you do have feelings- most of all anger. That is completely understandable, and well deserved on my part._

 _I also know you'd rather have a reason for why I left without saying goodbye instead of an apology, but I'm going to apologize anyway. I'm sorry. Believe it or not, there are still things out there that you don't understand, and I can't explain them to you because I don't understand them either._

 _You are a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant young man. You will become world famous for your genius, and I will be forever proud of everything I know you're going to accomplish. You don't have to forgive me, but I am forbidding you from ever considering that this has even remotely anything to do with you. This is my burden to carry, and I'm sorry that you got mixed up in it more than anything else._

 _Be unapologetically yourself, and you will succeed at anything you set your mind to. I know we've very rarely said it out loud, but you have to know- even if you don't believe it- that I love you, little man._

 _-Em_

It was less than he deserved, but all I could give. That's what I was going to tell myself, at least. After folding the note in half, I swung my bag over my shoulder and walked out of my bedroom for the last time. I stared at the piece of paper in my hands the entire trek from my room to the front door, only pausing when I passed by the door leading to the garage.

His trademark rock music was audible even through the closed door, and after taking a few steps closer I could hear him mumbling the lyrics as he worked on whatever project he had chosen to keep himself occupied with today. He probably hadn't even gone to sleep the night before since I hadn't bothered reminding him.

I was already being more selfish than I had ever been before, might as well go the extra mile. Placing my hand carefully on the door, I focused until I heard the room go silent. When I was sure it had worked, I twisted the knob and stepped into the garage. Tony was kneeled next to the brand new car his parents had given him for his birthday, the tools I'd given him spread out to his right with one hand propping himself up and the other reaching for the socket wrench.

I walked further in to kneel by his side, seizing every frozen moment to etch his carefree expression into my memory. "Please don't hate me," I whispered, even though I knew he couldn't hear me. "I know you have every right to, but I'm too selfish to not ask."

After saying what I wanted to, I brushed my fingers through his thick hair and leaned in to press a light kiss on his temple before standing back up. I set my letter on his workbench underneath a stray piece of scrap metal to make sure he would find it, but not before I was gone.

I waited until I was back inside the house and the garage door was closed once again before allowing time to resume its natural flow, Tony's quiet singing returning with the music. Tightening my grip on the strap over my shoulder, I turned my back on the garage and walked out of the Stark mansion.


	6. 1991-1995

**December 17, 1991 - Willowdale, Virginia**

* * *

 _Howard and Maria Stark Die In Car Accident on Long Island_

 _Nation Mourns Passing of Husband and Wife_

 _Thousands to Attend Funeral in Manhattan for Founder and President of Stark Industries_

I read the headline at least ten times before it registered. When it finally did, I set the newspaper on the couch next to me and buried my face in my hands, taking deep, shuddering breaths. This was what I had been dreading since leaving them seven years ago- that one day I would never be able to go back, even though I knew I never would have.

Cutting them out of my life completely hadn't worked out as planned, seeing as I had been unable to bring myself to disconnect the number Howard had to reach me with. I'd spoken with both of them over the phone a few times over the years, though I never saw them in person again. I kept up with them mostly through the news and the Internet, keeping tabs on the company and the family both.

After taking a few moments to collect myself, I picked the paper back up and continued reading the article. Just as I'd feared, Jarvis had been driving them. Of course their butler hadn't made the headlines, but his death hit me just as hard as- if not harder than- theirs had.

Further into the article they explained that Howard's long time friend and colleague Obadiah Stane would be taking over the company until Tony turned 21 in a few months, at which time he would follow in his father's foosteps as CEO of Stark Industries. I'd met Obadiah once or twice, but I'd never been too impressed by the man, much like most of Howard's colleagues. There was no mention of what would happen to SHIELD, which didn't surprise me in the slightest. They had always been a secretive bunch.

The sound of a phone ringing stole my attention from the paper, though a quick glance at the cell on the coffee table told me it was the old one I'd held on to from all those years ago. I stood and walked to the small desk in the room, pulling the outdated phone out of the top drawer before answering. "Hello?"

"Have you heard?"

Peggy. I sighed, returning to my couch to plop down and pull my legs up, tucking them by my side and leaning onto the armrest. "I read about it in the paper. A car crash," I scoffed. "Of all ways, that's not how I saw them going. Especially not with Jarvis at the wheel."

"None of us could have seen this coming, darling... You read about the funeral, then?"

I really hate when she uses the "I miss you" voice. I should never have promised to keep in touch. "Yeah, Peggy. I heard. Manhattan."

"In the seven years you've been gone, and even the four years I knew you before that, I have never once asked you for anything, Emma." It was strange hearing that name again. I had been going by Sarah for so long, I almost corrected her. "I'm asking you now. You are coming to the funeral, aren't you?"

Of course I would have to disappoint her on an already terrible day. I wrapped a piece of hair around my finger, tugging at it as I stared sadly at the carpet on my floor, wishing I didn't have to turn her down. "I'm sorry, Peggy."

I heard her sigh over the phone and tugged harder at my hair, stinging my head. Damn everything straight to hell. "Have you spoken to Tony, at least?"

Not since I abandoned him. "I'll call him."

"No you won't," she disagreed knowingly. "You're too stubborn."

"You really need to tell me how you became a human lie detector," I chuckled.

"Maybe someday. I'll let you get back to whatever it is you do these days, then."

"Okay. Bye, Peggy."

"Goodbye, darling."

"Ugh," I moaned, tossing my phone to the opposite side of the couch and standing up. I hadn't seen Peggy since the night of Tony's sixteenth birthday, but I knew that she was slowly losing her memory with age. One time she even called me by someone else's name- Dottie, I think- only apologizing for the mistake after I corrected her. Sometimes when we spoke on the phone she would go silent for minutes at a time, and when I was finally able to regain her attention she would claim she had been lost in thought. If I remembered correctly, she would be turning seventy later this year. I guess I could think of this as a good thing, her slowly forgetting me, but thinking about it that way was just too depressing to consider for long.

I couldn't sit in my living room and mope any longer. After changing into a publicly acceptable outfit, I left my apartment to wander the streets. I had no particular destination in mind, but I couldn't stay in that house without driving myself insane.

I almost wanted to call Tony, but I doubted he would answer even if I did. Or worse, he would want to see me and I would have to turn him down again. As if he didn't hate me enough already. No, I wouldn't call him. I made the decision to love him and leave him, and these were the consequences I would have to deal with. Thanks a lot, past me.

I could never truly regret my time with the Starks, though. I knew that. In all my years of mindless wandering, those seven were the only ones actually worth remembering.

I took to twisting my mother's pendant in between my hands while I walked- a habit I had developed long ago when I was lost in thought. Not for the first time, I found myself questioning why I was born the way I was. As far as I knew, nobody else in my family had ever experienced anything similar.. It had been such an insane development at the time that I never bothered looking for an answer as to why it happened, instead hating that it had.

Eventually I learned to simply go with the flow and use them as sparingly as possible, but maybe it was about time that I found out how this happened to me. How to start, though?

When I looked up I saw that I had ended up in front of one of Virginia's most prestigious universities- Culver U. If I remembered correctly, it focused mainly on the different sciences. Well, if this isn't fate I don't know what is.

With nothing better to do and no other ideas presenting themselves, I walked onto the campus and looked around. It looked beautiful yet eerie thanks to the rare snow that dotted the grounds and the thin fog in the air. I assumed it must be Christmas Break due to the lack of students.

I wasn't completely alone, however. I saw a tall man dressed in heavy clothing hurrying down a sidewalk, so I hurried to catch up to him. "Excuse me!"

He turned back when I called out, offering me a polite smile. "Can I help you?"

I walked around so that I was standing in front of him. "I hope so. My name's Sarah Hunt."

"Erik Selvig," he introduced, shaking my hand. "How can I help you, Sarah?"

"Do you know if I would be able to use some of the labs around here?"

Erik crossed his arms over his chest, though by the way he was hiding his hands I assumed it was more because of the cold than because he wanted to appear standoffish. "Do you mind if I ask what for?"

"I'm interested in learning more about... genetic mutations," I explained. "How they happen, the symptoms they can cause. Strange cases from around the world. Know anybody that could help me with something like that?"

He hummed thoughtfully, knitting his eyebrows and biting at his bottom lip. "I do know a rather extraordinary biochemist, though I'm not sure if he's still around this time of year. If you'd like I can take you to the main office. They should have his phone number there."

"That would be incredibly helpful."

"Follow me then." He turned back the way he had been walking before I caught up to him while I followed by his side. "I don't usually escort just anybody around, but you seem a bit desperate."

I shrugged, though on the inside I was nodding furiously. "My mother died because of a genetic mutation, and the rest of my family died before we ever found any answers." It wasn't a complete lie. "I just want to know more, for closure reasons."

He nodded as if he completely understood. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you can find the answers you're looking for here."

It was a short walk to the office, but we didn't even have to walk inside. Just as we were nearing the building, a man in a tan suit walked out and Erik clapped his hands together. "Just the man I was looking for! Dr. Banner!"

The man turned around when he called out to him, smiling and walking over with his hands clasped together in front oh himself. "Hello, Dr. Selvig."

"Sarah, this is Dr. Banner. Dr. Banner, this is Sarah Hunt. She's hoping to learn more about genetic mutations, and I thought that you would be the perfect man to help her out."

"Genetic mutations, huh?" He shoved his hands down into his pockets, turning to face me with the same easy smile he offered to Erik. "That is under my field of study. Do you mind if I ask why you want to learn about it?" I gave him the same explanation I'd given Erik, and his smile transformed into a pitying one. "Ah, I'm so sorry. I'd be glad to help you. Do you have any experience with biochemics?"

"Not exactly. I studied structural and neurobiology at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, but I wasn't interested in genetic mutation until just recently." Again, at least it wasn't a complete lie. I really had studied structural and neurobiology. And molecular biophysics. And at least another dozen majors that weren't under science. No need for him to know all that, though.

"Well, this will be that much easier, then. My girlfriend Betty has been complaining that there aren't enough women around here, anyway," he chuckled. "Come on, I'll show you where we work. I'll see you in January, Erik."

"I hope you find what you're looking for," Erik said, patting my shoulder. "See you after the break, Bruce."

He continued on his way while Bruce motioned in the opposite direction, towards one of the smaller buildings off the left. "Right this way, Sarah."

* * *

 **August 13, 1992 - Willowdale, Virginia**

* * *

I stayed at Culver with Bruce and Betty for much longer than I originally intended, gladly making the walk over almost every day to continue my studies with them. At first I studied whatever samples they gave me, focused more on learning on how to properly conduct the different experiments before I studied myself.

With the new school year approaching, the school was beginning to fill up with hundreds of new students looking to become world famous doctors in their respective fields. I was even offered a teaching position, but turned it down with the excuse that I was too focused on my independent studies at the moment.

I had only recently decided to finally study my own genetics, and today I was sitting in the lab with the lunch Betty had brought in my lap, waiting for the computer to finish generating my results. "You know," Bruce called from across the lab after swallowing a bite of his sandwich. "We have plenty of samples for you to use. You don't have to test yourself."

"I want to." I smiled at him, spinning back and forth in my chair. "Whatever my mom had, I might have too. I'm just being overly careful."

He nodded, taking another bite of his lunch. That's what I liked about Bruce. He never pushed unless he thought something was critical for him to know, which was barely ever. A very chill guy overall, though he could be a bit nervous when it came to dealing with strangers.

The computer beeped to signal that it had finished, and I set my lunch to the side to roll back up and scroll through the results. Comparing my cells to the average humans showed that mine regenerated at a much slower rate, which would explain why I didn't age. It didn't explain why it started at a certain age, but at least it was a start.

I scrolled through the long text, absentmindedly tapping my fingers against my cheek while I read. Most of it seemed average, which made no sense to me. Time to try again. Sighing, I deleted the results and ejected the sample from its machine to throw away.

"Find what you were looking for?" Betty asked, cleaning up after having finished her lunch.

"Not exactly." I dumped the sample into the biohazard bin before going to wash my hands. "I'll just have to try again."

"Well, why don't we take a break?" Betty glanced at Bruce before turning back to me. "We've been cooped up in here for days, and that new Eddie Murphy movie where he becomes a Congressman just came out a few days ago. We could all go see that together."

"I'm a bit busy with-" Bruce started, gesturing towards the mess on his desk, but stopped when Betty shot him what I liked to call her 'just go with it' look. "I mean, yeah. I could use a break. Sarah?"

"I don't think so," I declined. "You two go ahead. I'm just going to run a few more tests."

"Oh, come on, Sarah!" Betty walked over to my computer, pushing the power button just as I sat back down in front of it. I shot her a tired look, but she just smiled at me. "How long have we been friends?"

"I don't have friends."

"You always say that, but we consider you our friend. Right, Bruce?"

He nodded, leaning back in his chair. "You've been with us too long to say we aren't your friends. You're stuck with us."

"Exactly," Betty grinned. "Come on, it'll be fun! I won't take no for an answer."

Making friends is unbelievably bad for me. I had to learn that the hard way. But one movie wouldn't kill me, right? "Fine," I gave in, pushing back from the desk and standing. "Just this once, I will let you drag me around. But just this once!"

Betty laughed, latching onto my wrist and pulling me towards the exit. "You say that now, but once you see how fun Bruce and I are outside of the lab you won't be able to resist us anymore."

Bruce followed closely behind us, locking the lab after we left before catching up to stand on my other side. "Like I said. You're stuck with us."

And I was. For the next two years, at least. I stayed with Bruce and Betty until I accepted that I knew everything I was going to about my mutations. I knew more than I used to, but not everything. Maybe when technology progressed again in a few years I would be able to learn more, but until then it was time for me to move on again. I had lived in Virginia for nine years now, which was almost as long as I'd allowed myself to stay with the Starks.

When I told them I was leaving, of course they wanted a reason. "I've accomplished what I came here to do," I explained with a shrug, glancing around the lab. "I've loved working with you two, but I'm a nomad at heart. I never stay in one place very long."

"But you could stay here," Betty tried, shaking her head. "You've always had the option to become a teacher here, and you have friends who care about you. You have roots here."

"I told you when we met, Betty. I don't make attachments."

She turned her eyes to the floor, and Bruce sighed. "I guess you did warn us," he admitted. Thank the universe for people like Bruce Banner. "You will keep in touch though, right?"

That was always the question after why. "As best as I know how," I shrugged. "Which probably isn't as often as you'd like. I'll try, though."

Betty stepped forward and pulled me into a hug, which at first made me freeze up. I really wasn't a physical person, but I knew that she was, so I made an exception and hugged her back. "I'll miss you," she murmured.

"I'll miss you, too." When she let go of me, I turned to Bruce who had taken to playing with his glasses. It was a habit I'd seen a lot of over the years, and I knew he wouldn't stop any time soon. "Bring it in, Banner."

He walked over and wrapped me in a tight hug that I returned by patting his back. "Don't disappear on us, okay?" _I will._

"I won't." When the goodbyes were over with, I grabbed the small folder I had filled with my handwritten notes- the only ones I hadn't destroyed immediately after reading- and smiled at them once more. "Bye, guys."

They waved while I walked out of the lab, and once the door was closed I let out a long sigh. This whole 'befriending great people just before I walk out of their lives' thing was not going to work.


	7. June 2004

**June 2, 2004 - Chicago, Illinois**

* * *

Newspapers are very important to me. Because I was constantly moving around it could be difficult for me to keep up with what was happening in the world, which is why when I found out that the apartment I had moved into four years ago didn't deliver them, I took up walking to the nearest news stand every morning to pick one up.

That's why I was out at seven AM this Monday morning, strolling under the awnings that hung over the sidewalk to avoid getting wet from the drizzling rain. I refused to carry an umbrella, insisting that they were too much of a hassle. Besides, after I picked up the paper I was going to go inside to eat breakfast anyway.

It was a ten minute walk to the news stand, and only four minutes from there to a local, old school diner that served the best damn waffles I'd ever tasted. I was imagining these waffles with a serene smile on my face as I walked up to the stand, running my fingers over the dozens of different magazines. "Morning, Ricki," William, the owner of the stand greeted.

"Morning, Will. Anything exciting happening this morning?"

"I think I have just the thing for you." He turned around to dig through stacks of thick magazines and papers before pulling out a copy of US Weekly and handing it to me over the counter. I immediately recognized the man on the cover as Tony as I took the magazine from him. My grip on the magazine tightened significantly after reading the headline.

 _Tony Stark Missing_

 _Kidnapped by Unknown Terrorist Cell While Visiting Afghanistan_

"Crazy world we live in," William sighed. "Almost seems like nothing good happens anymore." My hands were shaking, but I reached back into my pocket to pull out a twenty and hand it to William. "You really don't need to pay me so much, Ricki."

"I have more money than I know what to do with," I dismissed, folding the magazine in half before putting on my best smile. "Thanks for the paper, Will."

As I walked away from the stand he called out, "See you tomorrow!" I wasn't sure he would, but I didn't stop to tell him that.

I skipped breakfast that morning, hurrying back home to read the article about Tony in solitude. Unable to sit down, I paced my living room while I flipped to the correct page and started reading.

It explained that he went over there to test a new weapon for his buyers, and while he was in the convoy on the way back they were ambushed. Most of the American soldiers on board had been killed in action, though Colonel James Rhodes had managed to survive. There were a few suspects, but as of now nobody had any concrete evidence as to who had taken him.

I read the article three times, making sure I left no detail unseen before I rolled up the magazine, crushing the pages between my hands. The only reason I was able to make myself leave him in the first place was because I thought he could take care of himself, but apparently that had been a mistake. Now he was out in the middle of nowhere being held captive by God knows who and being forced to do God knows what, and there was nothing I could do about it… Well, there was one thing.

I tapped my finger against the pages, biting the inside of my cheek. It was a crazy idea, and one that could potentially land me in more than a little bit of trouble if the government found out about me. But this was Tony, and he was in trouble.

"God dammit," I mumbled, abandoning the magazine on my couch as I marched into my bedroom to pack my things.

* * *

 **June 3, 2004 – Washington, D.C**

* * *

After paying the cab driver his due amount, I walked up to the gates protecting the Triskelion from intruders. The last time I had been here the building was much smaller and still under construction. On a pillar next to the gate was a number pad and some type of scanner, but I pressed the call button below the speaker. It took a minute for anyone to reply, and when they did I noticed a small camera shift to look in my direction. "State your business."

"I need to speak to Director Fury," I said into the speaker, silently hoping that Howard had given the job to Nick like he had planned on back in the 80's.

"I'm sorry, but without-"

"Tell him it's Emma Pierce."

The speaker went silent, and I glanced up at the camera before offering a little wave. Soon after that, the gates pushed open. I smiled at the camera in thanks before marching through the gates. The walk across the bridge wasn't too long, and at the end I saw the familiar face of Nick Fury, though he had changed a considerable amount since the last time I'd seen him.

He had his arms locked behind his back, a half-grin spreading over his face as I walked closer. "Emma," he greeted in a harsher voice than he'd had the last time we'd spoken.

I stopped at least a foot away from him, crossing my arms over my chest and copying his smile. I was desperate for help, but I was still going to be ready to run if I had to. "Nick. I like the eyepatch. It suits you."

"I see you still haven't aged a day." He raised one quizzical eyebrow, and I knew that he had a lot of questions that weren't going to be easy to answer. "Why don't we talk more inside? I'll show you what I've done with the office."

"Can't wait."

The walk through the lobby of the Triskelion was filled with confused glances and quiet whispers the scattered agents assumed I couldn't hear. It was understandable, seeing as SHIELD was a secretive bunch but didn't appreciate secrets being kept from them, and I was someone they didn't know walking with their boss.

When we stepped onto the elevator, he scanned his ID in front of a camera next to the door before a mechanized woman's voice came out of the speaker. _"Unauthorized civilian detected."_

"Director override. Fury, Nicholas J."

" _Confirmed."_

The doors slid closed and the glass elevator started raising. "Must be nice to be the boss," I commented and Nick shrugged, leaning back against the silver railing attached to the back wall.

"It has its perks."

I pretended to not notice that he was staring at me, instead choosing to appear interested in the plain wall directly in front of me. He didn't say as much, but I could feel his eyes inspecting every inch of me as the elevator crawled higher and higher. Not nearly soon enough, the doors opened with a ding and Nick motioned for me to follow after him.

This floor was much emptier than the last, a small solace in the face of what I considered to be my worst nightmare. I had spent the better part of the last 200 years avoiding being found out, and now here I was all but handing myself over to one of the most dangerous groups possible. All because that little nerd couldn't keep himself out of trouble.

Nick's desk was stationed in the far left corner of the room with the entire wall to his back made of glass that I observed through as he took his seat. He gestured towards the chair on the opposite end of the desk, but I maintained a fair distance from him and remained standing. "As happy as I am to see you again, I didn't come here for a personal visit."

Nick leaned back in his seat, threading his fingers together and resting them in his lap. "I figured as much. Honestly, I never expected you to show up here at all. Especially considering that's there are no records of you existing after leaving Howard's service 18 years ago."

"That's because I didn't. Technically, I never did." I crossed my arms tightly over my chest, keeping a careful eye on Nick's hands. If he made any unexpected movements, I was out of there. I would just have to find Tony without him. "I'm here to make you a deal."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, his head tilting slightly back and to the side as a small smile pulled at his lips. "Care to elaborate?"

I dropped my arms back down by my sides, adopting a casual stance even though I felt anything but casual. "I assume you've heard about Tony." I waited for him to nod before proceeding. "I need him to be safe. If you can guarantee me that you can find and protect him, I'll answer any questions you have about me."

Nick watched me for a moment before shrugging, his hands out by his sides with his palms facing the ceiling in the universal symbol for total nonchalance. "And what if I say no? What's to stop me from not allowing you to leave, hmm?" He recombined his hands in his lap, his face becoming deadly serious as he stared me down. "What _exactly_ would you do then?"

"See, that's not how this works," I chuckled humorlessly, shaking my head as I took a confident step forward that he took blatant notice of. "Say whatever you want, but I know you're curious. Hell, you're more than curious. You're _dying_ to know more. But the bottom line here is that I'm the only shot you have at ever getting any answers. The deal is real simple, Nick. You find Tony, and _only then_ will you know _anything_. Any funny moves, any hint at all that you're not holding up your end of the bargain, and I'm gone. And believe me when I say that you won't find me."

The air between us was thick as we glared at each other. I could only assume he was weighing his options while I was keeping myself from turning on my heel and running out of here as quickly as humanly possible. He surprised me, though, with a lopsided grin and a nod. "I think you'll be glad to know that I already have one of my top agents on the job." I openly gawked at him in confusion while he sat forward, pushing a button on the right side of his desk. "Send in Agent Coulson."

I only moved when I heard the door open behind me, shifting to the side to keep both Nick and the newcomer in my line of sight. He only glanced at me before turning to Nick. "Sir?"

Nick stood from his seat and walked around his desk, motioning between me and the new guy. "Emma, this is Agent Coulson. He was only a junior agent last time you were around." I nodded once at Coulson, who didn't let it show on his face if he was confused at all as he nodded back. "Coulson, this is Emma Pierce. She's an old friend of mine."

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Pierce." Coulson stepped forward to shake my hand, and I took note of the fact that he didn't keep a defensive position the closer he got to me. Whether it was confidence or ignorance, though, I wasn't sure.

"Nice to meet you, too."

"Emma is going to be helping you in your search for Mr. Stark," Nick informed him. "I'd like you to introduce her to your team and grant her full clearance on everything we've learned so far."

"Of course." Coulson made his first facial expression by smiling at me before waving me out the door with one hand, the other hidden behind his back. "Right this way."

I glanced back at Nick before following Coulson out of the office, and back the way I had come. This wasn't exactly how I had expected everything to go, but it was definitely one of the better scenarios so far. I was determined to save Tony with or without SHIELD's help, though I took comfort in the fact that with their help would certainly be a much quicker process.

On the elevator ride down I noticed Coulson watching me out of the corner of his eye, and decided to speak up. "Nick said that you've already started looking for Tony."

"We began the search as soon as we heard the news," he confirmed. "Director Fury was a close friend of Howard Stark, the founder of SHIELD. Though we currently have no personal affiliation with Mr. Stark, we feel that he should be protected." He hesitated briefly before turning his head to face me fully. "If you don't mind me asking, Director Fury said that you were an old friend of his and mentioned that you've been here before."

While I planned to keep the majority of my life a secret until Tony was back home as promised, I knew that SHIELD already knew everything there was to know about Emma Pierce and that there was no point in trying to hide any part of that identity from them. So, smiling at Coulson, I let my guard down just the slightest bit to tease him. "That wasn't a question."

He chuckled once under his breath with a small nod. "I was wondering just how you're affiliated with SHIELD."

"It's a bit of a long story. In the shortest sense, I used to be Tony's nanny." I shrugged as the elevator doors slid open, stepping off while maintaining eye contact with Coulson. "If you're lucky, I'll tell you the full story someday. For now, I believe we have some work to do."


	8. August 2004

**August 12, 2004 – Washington, D.C**

* * *

I had been working with SHIELD for the last three months, becoming acquainted with a few of their higher level agents and searching non-stop for Tony. Nick had kept up his end of the bargain so far by allowing me to keep my secrets to myself. That didn't stop everyone from being curious, but for the most part all they knew was that I was inexplicably young looking for somebody who was at least in her late 50's.

Even though I wasn't technically a SHIELD employee, Coulson and his team kept me up to date with everything that was going on. He had introduced me to Clint and Natasha my first day here, and while they had been gone for different periods of time for other missions, it was always a good day when they returned. The hunt for Tony was off-record as of now, so their help was greatly appreciated.

There were a few times when I was convinced we weren't going to find him. We had planted small cells throughout Afghanistan to report any sightings of him, we tracked every known terrorist group through satellite, we ran his DNA and picture through countless recognition programs that always turned up empty. To say that coming back from a full day's work with no results over and over and over was discouraging was putting it mildly.

We weren't the only ones looking, however. Tony's friend Rhodes was still out looking for him just as hard as we were, but according to Nick he had been coming up empty too. It wasn't a surprise, considering they had less resources and manpower than SHIELD did. It was a good cover for us though, since SHIELD preferred staying under the radar. That's why I had started anonymously sending Rhodes and his search-and-rescue team every small tip I could find, even if it ended up being nothing. No matter how badly I wanted to go and personally pick up Tony from whoever was keeping him, it would be better in the long run for Rhodes to find him and bring him home.

It was just another Thursday in my small, borrowed office at SHIELD running through several different programs when I finally got a hit. I nearly knocked over the half-empty mug of coffee Coulson had brought to me earlier when the computer beeped by jumping in my seat. I snatched up the mouse and clicked frantically to find the program that was alerting me, my eyes scanning tirelessly over the screen.

When I finally found the right one, I saw a blurry video feed of what looked like a bunch of market stalls being blown up. On the right side of the screen was an information feed that told me this area belonged to the Ten Rings, one of the groups we had only recently started investigating. I zoomed in on the feed and squinted as I practically pressed my nose against the monitor to get a better look at the area.

It was tiny, but I could just barely make out the Stark Industries logo on one of the boxes before it exploded. It was a small clue, but good enough for me. Without another thought, I clicked out of the feed to send an email to Rhodes. Thanks to SHIELD, the IP address was endlessly encrypted to prevent him from knowing who it came from, not that it would be the first tip he received from me.

As quickly as humanly possible I sent him the location and name of the group before hitting send. Once the message was sent, I cracked my knuckles and rubbed my palms together anxiously. It was hard to keep myself from overreacting in these situations, convincing myself that this was it- we had finally found him. Regardless of whether it really was him or not, I still had to report it to Nick.

I hurried through the winding hallways, excusing myself to more than a few agents as I brushed past them in my rush to the elevator. After slamming the button, I clicked my heels impatiently against the tile floor while waiting for the doors to open. When they did, I saw Natasha standing with a thick file in one hand and a cup in the other. "In a hurry?" she asked as I stepped inside and pressed the button for the top floor.

"There was a hit," I explained, ignoring the look she gave me. "I really think it's him this time. There was his logo, and explosions, and it was going down at one of the Ten Rings' bases, and I already emailed-"

"Emma," she interrupted with a quiet sigh. "I understand that you get yourself through the day by hoping that each little thing you find is significant, but none of us like seeing you get your hopes up for nothing."

I shook my head, staring straight ahead and willing the doors to open in front of Nick's office. "It's not nothing. It's my job to protect him."

"It _was_ your job to protect him. Look, I'm not going to downplay everything you're doing here. You obviously care a lot about Tony for some inexplicable reason. But," she continued when I glanced at her with an annoyed look, "if this does turn out to be another dead end, I don't want you to be discouraged. We'll find him. You just have to be patient."

The doors finally opened, and I was already walking out as I talked over my shoulder to Natasha. "I've been patient for twenty years. I'm tired of waiting."

Nick's office was thankfully open, so I pushed the door open and walked in without bothering to offer him a greeting. "There was an explosion at the Ten Rings location in Kunar, Afghanistan where I saw Stark Industries property on site. I've already contacted Colonel Rhodes, and I'll be keeping an eye on the place to see if anything else happens."

"Hello to you, too," Nick acknowledged, keeping his eyes on his desk as he flipped through a blue folder.

I huffed with annoyance before closing my eyes and taking a calming breath. "I know that I do this a lot, and I can't explain how I know it's him, but it is. Here, I'll show you." I walked around his desk, pushing his chair backwards to lean forward and start typing on his computer.

"I let you get away with a lot-"

"Could you just shush and let me show you?" I interrupted, glancing back at him before returning my attention to the screen. In moments I had the same video feed from earlier pulled up and took a step back to let him see it. "See? That is clearly…"

I trailed off at the sight of what was on the screen. A giant, silver, robot-looking suit was stomping through the base and causing even more explosions. Multiple men were shooting at the suit, but nothing could touch it. It waked through the base, blowing up every crate it saw with the Stark Industries logo printed on the side.

Before we could see exactly where it was going, one of the crates went up in a much larger ball of flame than the rest that engulfed our hidden camera, cutting off the feed. I was stunned in to silence, having absolutely no idea what that thing was or what it was doing there. But I did know one thing. "That's where Rhodes will find Tony," I reiterated, pointing at the screen. "And when he brings him home, I'm going to be there."

Nick tore his eyes away from the screen to examine me with a thoughtful expression. "I thought you didn't want him to know about your involvement?"

It was true that I was the one who insisted my continued involvement in Tony's life remain a secret, not Nick. He had actually suggested a few times that I be more truthful with him, which was saying a lot coming from the Director of Secrets-R-Us. "I don't," I agreed. "And he won't. If you can get me into whatever air base they'll be bringing him home to, I can just… see him. Once I make sure he's safe, I'll come back. Then we can talk."

Nick remained as still as stone as he stared at me, the wheels visibly turning inside of his head. This was never part of our original deal, and not something I had ever considered asking for, but something I couldn't take no as an answer for now. After what seemed like a much longer time than it actually was, he finally nodded. "Okay. If this is the real thing, then I'll send you out to see him."

I nodded, backing away from his desk and hiding a growing smile by keeping my face turned away from him as I returned to my own office. Time to find that air base.

* * *

 **August 13, 2004 – Malibu, California**

* * *

It took a lot longer than I would have liked for Rhodes to actually follow through with my tip, but he eventually deployed a squad of aircrafts to rescue Tony. Using SHIELD's many connections, I was able to track his every movement. I sat in front of my computer for hours that night, following the small dot across the world map until it stopped over Afghanistan. It tortured me that I couldn't actually see what was happening, but when the dot circled around and started returning home, I let out a relieved sigh. If all went according to plan, Tony was finally on his way home.

It didn't take me long after that to secure the location where they would be landing. Tack on a few phone calls and a couple pulled strings, and six hours later I was dressed in a full Air Force uniform while walking confidently through the US Air Base stationed in Malibu that the plane I was waiting for would be landing at any moment now. Nick had also insisted that Coulson come with me to investigate the metal suit incident, but he had agreed to wait back at the hotel we were staying in while I did this. "I'll meet with Mr. Stark later today," he had offered with a small but knowing smile. "You can handle this part."

Thanks to an impeccably forged badge brandishing the alias Lieutenant Colonel Ingrid Watson, nobody questioned me as I made my way through the sparsely populated building and through the back doors leading to the landing strip outside.

There was an ambulance off to the side with two paramedics resting against a stretcher as they spoke idly with one another while a few scattered airmen walked the grounds. Other than a few Jeeps, there was one lone black car waiting towards the end of the strip with two people standing in front of it. The woman I recognized as Pepper Potts, and the man as Tony's personal security though I didn't know his name.

I had to hold back a smile at the sight of them. If they were here, they must have heard that Tony was coming back. Slipping alongside a wall where I would blend in better, I turned to the skies just in time to see a large aircraft slowly drifting closer to the ground. I didn't take my eyes off the craft the entire time it was landing, staring intently at the bright yellow hatch on the back. It took a painstakingly long time for it to lower, but when it did I had to plant my feet harder against the ground and remind myself to stay in place. I was only here to make sure he was okay, not for a reunion.

I repeated that thought a million times over in my head, convincing myself that it was true. But the second I saw him walking off that plane, holding Rhodes hand as he leaned onto him for support, it became nearly impossible to stop myself from sprinting forward and examining him for any visible injuries.

Other than in magazine and internet article photos, I hadn't seen him since he was sixteen years old. Then, he had been a lanky little nerd who spent more time on his inventions than he did with kids his own age. Now, he had grown into a handsome man that wore a suit instead of a band t-shirt, with a goatee instead of a mere hint of scruff, and had experienced something more terrible than I could have ever imagined he would have had to face.

I watched with rapt attention as he waved the stretcher away before releasing Rhodes's arm to stand in front of Pepper with a smirk. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but judging by the shake of her shoulders I knew it had made her laugh, and that alone was enough to force the smile onto my face. Of course he was making jokes. It was what he did.

When he glanced around the base, I looked down to fix the nonexistent wrinkles on my uniform and straighten my badge. By the time I looked back up, he was already climbing into the backseat of the black car while Pepper got in on the opposite side and his security detail took the driver's seat. They didn't drive off right away, so I simply stared at the tinted backseat window, only faintly able to make out Tony's silhouette.

I was only pulled out of my wishful thinking when Coulson's voice came through the comm I had forgotten I had in my right ear. _"Did you see what you wanted to see?"_

I waited until the black car reversed away from the plane in a half-circle and drove out of sight before answering with a heavy sigh. "Yeah. He's safe."

" _Good. They're calling a press conference. Would you like to join me?"_

I actually considered it, but in the end the answer was always the same. I walked back through the doors to the air base, already pulling out my phone and dialing the number for a cab to bring me back to the hotel. "I don't think so. I'll watch from my room. Do me a favor and make sure somebody feeds him, okay? He has a terrible habit of not eating unless he's told."

" _Will do."_

* * *

By the time I had changed back into normal clothes and situated myself in front of the TV to watch the press conference, Tony was just walking up to the podium with a hundred camera flashes going off in every direction. I was glad to see that he was stuffing the least of a hamburger in his mouth, not surprised in the least at his lack of care for his image.

While Obadiah- a man I hadn't even thought about in years- stood behind the microphone, Tony sat on the steps in front of the podium while unwrapping a second hamburger. "Hey, would it be all right if everyone sat down? Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can… A little less formal." All the reporters in the room joined Tony on the floor while Obadiah sat on his left, though I assumed the cameramen stayed standing because the picture didn't move. Tony chewed his food with a blank expression for a few seconds before turning to Obadiah. "I never got to say goodbye to Dad."

"Oh, god," I sighed into my hands, rubbing my face a few times before pulling my feet up onto the couch. This was not going to end well for anybody, I could already tell.

Tony set his hamburger to the side before turning back to the cameras and reporters. "I never got to say goodbye to my father. There's questions I would have asked him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels… I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."

While I readjusted myself into a more comfortable position on the couch, knitting my eyebrows in confusion over where exactly this press conference was going, a few of the reporters mumbled Tony's name and he nodded at one in the front. "What happened over there?"

"I had my eyes opened," Tony answered as he stood from the steps and walked around to the back of the podium, standing behind the microphone. "I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up… I knew somebody once who told me that they would be proud of me no matter what I did with my life. They told me that as long as I did what I knew was right, I would succeed. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International-"

I couldn't hear the rest of his statement over the rapid fire questions being shot off by the reporters, but I doubted I would have cared about anything else he said at that point regardless. Tears were pooling at the back of my eyes while my interlocked, trembling hands were covering my mouth as I watched Obadiah escort Tony off the stage and out of view of the cameras. The only thing I cared about in that moment was that he hadn't forgotten me.

* * *

 **Hello, lovely readers! I hope you're enjoying the story so far, but to make sure this story reaches its full potential, I'd like to ask a favor of you.**

 **Although I already know how the majority of this story is going to play out, I'd like your opinion on something. What level of involvement would you like to see Emma have in the actual storylines? What I mean by this is, how much would you like her presence to affect the MCU? Would you like her to be more in the background, more at the front lines, etc.? I'd love to hear your opinions so that I can write to the majority's preference.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and any reviews regarding what I asked will be very greatly appreciated! :)**


	9. August-September 2004

**August 16, 2004 – Washington, D.C.**

* * *

I was a mess after seeing Tony again. If I was honest with myself, I had _been_ a mess for years, but when am I ever honest with anyone- least of all myself?

While Coulson stayed in Malibu to keep an eye on Tony, I returned to the Triskelion in D.C. and spent my time dodging Nick. Despite my promise to tell him everything, I was in no state to delve into my screwed up past. Of course, he wasn't so keen on me not upholding my end of the deal. He had given me leverage in the past for whatever reason- be it his previous relationship with Howard or a gut feeling he had about me- but after three days he had reached his limit.

I sat on the other side of his desk, leaning against the back of the seat and staring out the window behind him while he rested his elbows on his desk, his chin propped against his knuckles. "We'll start off simple, ease you into the process," he tried to encourage. "Where did you live before you met the Starks?"

"Nevada," I sighed, massaging my temple for a moment before running my hand down my face and tucking it under my chin. "New Jersey before that. Nebraska, Montana, Oklahoma, Wyoming, New Hampshire. It would be quicker to tell you the places I _haven't_ lived."

Nick's fingers tapped against each other, and I could tell he wanted to write my answers down for later. He didn't need to, though. He would remember them. "And you lived at all these places on your own?"

"I lived with roommates at first, before I could afford to live on my own." I dragged my thumb over my bottom lip, my half-closed eyes still focused over Nick's shoulder. I hadn't slept much the last few days, leaving my mind in a distracted fog. A cup of coffee that had long since gone cold sat on the desk in front of me, but I didn't care enough to reach forward and grab it. I didn't notice I had missed Nick's next question until he cleared his throat, causing me to blink and turn my attention to him. "Hmm?"

"Miss Pierce-"

"Why so formal?" I mumbled, my tired eyes already trailing off toward the side again. "You never had a problem calling me Emma before."

"I would prefer to call you by your real name," he countered, dropping his hands onto his desk.

"What makes a name real? Your parents giving it to you? Or is it the name most people use for you? Is a nickname a real name?"

"Emma-"

"There we go."

"-I am not in the mood to play games with you." That much was clear enough by the stern tone he had adopted as he tightened one hand around the other. "I have given you ample time to do what you came here to do, and I can only assume you had more than enough time before that to process everything. I have held up my end of our bargain. It's time for you to do the same."

"Time," I scoffed, shaking my head slowly. "What has time ever done for me, besides cause trouble?"

"I wouldn't know. You haven't told me yet."

I lowered my eyes to a pile of documents on his desk, hidden inside of a blue folder marked 'Confidential'. "Time," I repeated, moving my hand to rest softly atop the folder. "You want to know what it is time has done for me, Nick?" Before his hand could remove mine from the folder, its color began to fade. "Time ruins everything. It always has-" the corners curled in around themselves "-it always will-" the edges began to disintegrate "-for everyone. Even you."

At the end of my sentence, the folder crumpled into nothing but a thin layer of dust. Nick held no surprise on his face, but his silence told me more than any expression would. To keep him from being too angry with me, I lifted my hand gently from the ash and reverted it to its original state- a blue folder marked 'Confidential'.

"I don't mean to throw myself a pity party. We're all victims of time, Nick. But you won't argue with me when I tell you that time seems to hate me in particular."

He retained his silence for a moment longer as I returned my hand to my lap, wrapping the other firmly over it. "That's a neat trick," he finally said, his voice holding no indication that it had affected him in the least. "How long have you been doing it?"

"That depends on how specific you want me to be." I met Nick's eyes for the first time in three days, blinking back my exhaustion to stare him down. "I've only been able to limit my energy to a small space for a few years. In general… only the last couple centuries. You tend to lose count of the years when you get to be my age."

Again Nick allowed himself a pause, though this time he wasn't the one to break the silence. Our staring competition was interrupted by a knock on the door that didn't want for an answer before it was pushed open and Clint's voice sounded from behind me. "Sir? I just got off the phone with Coulson. He has an update on Stark."

Nick ended our contest by turning his attention over my shoulder. "I'll contact him. In the meantime, you can show Emma back to her office."

"I haven't forgotten my way," I informed him as I stood from my chair, my back stiffening when he smiled at me. He didn't even bother to make it look genuine.

"Of course not. I'm just making sure you make it back there without incident."

Any friendliness I may have felt with Nick was instantly through the window at this change in treatment of a guest to a prisoner. I knew that with a simple touch of my hand I could have him recant the command, but before my finger even twitched I had another overwhelming thought- what was the point? It wasn't like I had anywhere else to go, anyone else to go to. If I ran from SHIELD now, I would only be running to another town, another alias, another empty house with empty relationships to people I would long outlive.

When Clint laid a gentle hand on my shoulder, I didn't bother resisting his careful guidance out of Nick's office and down the hallway. He held his tongue until we reached the elevator and the doors closed, his hand remaining on my shoulder the entire time. "I'm sorry," he murmured beneath his breath. It wasn't much, but more than I was sure any other SHIELD agent would have offered me.

My suspicions were confirmed when I felt every pair of eyes we passed by crawl over me, their silent questions clear in their stares the entire long walk to my borrowed office. Clint pushed the door open for me as I stepped towards it and inside the room, ignoring the light switch on my right. He stood quietly in the doorway for only a second before nodding his head with tightly pursed lips and closing the door on his way out.

I sat in the black office chair, tugging my feet underneath my knees and letting my head hang over the back of the seat. I had always feared being found out for who I was, but now that it had finally happened I wasn't sure how to feel. Be it due to my acceptance of the fact that I would never truly live a happy life or that I had turned myself in, I wasn't sure- nor did I truly care.

If SHIELD wanted to experiment on me, I wouldn't stop them. If they let me go, I would leave. I had no reason to stay, no reason to go. I had no reason to lie, no reason to tell the truth. I had no reason to live, no reason to die. I simply had no reason.

* * *

 **September 9, 2004 – Washington, D.C.**

Things went on this way for days, weeks. I wasn't quite sure. For the most part I remained in my office or in the bedroom provided for me. Other times I was in Nick's office, answering or ignoring whatever questions he could come up with- depending on my mood that day. Sometimes words weren't enough for him and he wanted me to show him what I could do.

Sometimes I would walk into his office and he wasn't in there, Natasha or Clint was. Usually their questions were aimed more towards my life rather than the extent of my abilities. Where I was born, if I had any friends or family outside of the Starks, what jobs I had worked, blah blah blah.

Despite my insistence that I didn't care, Coulson insisted on keeping me up to date on what Tony was up to. I had been trying to keep myself disconnected from the world, but he called me at least every other day to describe what was happening in Malibu. He talked about his frustration when he couldn't get in touch with Pepper- Tony's assistant- and his annoyance at the man's refusal to meet with him.

One time I didn't hear from him for five days, but when he finally did call me he had news that I certainly hadn't expected to hear- let alone from him, considering Nick had locked me out of SHIELD's systems long ago.

"I don't have any proof it was him," Coulson said, and I could imagine him shaking his head by the tone in his voice, "but if what you've told me about him is true… Tony might have just saved Gulmira from the Ten Rings. The more I think about it, the more it fits. A metal man, appearing from the skies and shooting pure energy from his hands? Sounds an awful lot like somebody we know that recently escaped an underground Ten Rings prison."

I stood motionlessly in the middle of my office-turned-cell, stunned. The thought of Tony building a suit that he used to fly across the world and protect people was a terrifying image that still managed to make me proud of him. "He'll get himself killed," I thought aloud as I returned to my pacing. "What a stupid, ignorant, _brilliant_ little idiot he is… You have to help him."

"You're sending me mixed signals here, Emma. I thought you didn't care about Tony anymore?"

"Shut up. I need you to make sure he doesn't get himself killed doing this. You need to-"

"Hold on, I'm getting another call... It's Pepper Potts. I'll call you back."

Before I could protest, Coulson ended the call. I wasn't quite sure what to do after that. For the first time in a long time I felt on edge- the hair on the back of my neck stood stiff, my feet were too restless to stay still, my hands were shaking.

I continued to pace the room for a while as I considered everything this new information might mean. On the one hand, Tony was finally living up to his potential. He was doing something for the greater good and becoming his own person, a better person. On the other, it was a more than dangerous job- taking on the bad guys by himself. There would be nobody there to help him. Nobody to save him if things went wrong.

I don't know exactly how long I worried myself over every possible outcome, but it was growing dark outside by the time I walked to the door and tugged on the knob, sighing with relief that it hadn't been locked. A couple agents tried to talk to me as I marched my way up to Nick's office, but I ignored all of them. I didn't even bother to knock as I barged into the room, ready to make demands that I hadn't even stopped to plan out yet.

I was only stopped by the sight of Natasha standing next to Nick, both of them hunched over the phone on his desk. The room was tensely silent, neither of them bothering to look up at me when I walked in. "What happened?"

Nick's gaze remained on his desk, his eyebrows knit and a contemplative expression on his face. Natasha glanced up at me as she straightened her back, her natural look of impassiveness blanketing her features. "You weren't close to Obadiah Stane, right?"

* * *

 **I apologize for the sporadic updates, but work and school have had me pretty busy the last couple weeks leaving me little time to my stories. I'll try to update at least once a week from here on out- hopefully more than that, but I can't make any promises.**


	10. September 2004

**September 10, 2004 – Washington, D.C.**

* * *

"The truth is… I am Iron Man."

The reporters were out of their chairs in an instant, flashes clouding the screen while voices drowned out the security's attempts to calm them as Tony exited the small stage. I stood from the seat I had taken in front of the television as Nick picked up the remote to shut the television off.

" _I told him to stick to the cards,"_ Coulson insisted over the phone on Nick's desk that we had left on speaker.

"Not much of a listener, is he?" Natasha quipped, her arms crossed over her chest as she shook her head at the dark screen.

"No, he isn't." I turned and faced the other two- three, if you counted Coulson- people in the room. "Seems like you have a problem on your hands."

Nick sat on the edge of his desk, his hands planted on either side of himself as he watched me with the same guarded expression he always wore. "I assume this is the part where you tell me you have a solution."

I nodded my head resolutely, though in reality I had absolutely no idea how to fix the situation. Tony had just announced to the world that he was some kind of hero, and with heroes came enemies, not even mentioning the ones he already has. But I was a fixer. Sure I had been in a slump lately, but this was the perfect opportunity to crawl myself out of it. All I would have to do was make a plan up as I went along- nothing I hadn't done a million times before.

"Assuming our deal still stands," I started, motioning between myself and Nick. Natasha glanced at the both of us when he took a moment to answer, but eventually he nodded his head. "You still want to protect him. But Tony doesn't think he needs protection- especially not now. He's going to think he's invincible. King of the Castle, that sort of thing."

" _You're just telling us what we already know."_

I narrowed my eyes at the phone despite knowing that Coulson couldn't see me, but continued with my mini-speech regardless. "If Tony knows you're watching him, he'll shut you out. All of his research, all of his inventions, all of his secrets. It doesn't matter how good you think you are at knowing people. If Tony doesn't want you to know something, you won't… Unless he doesn't know he's telling you."

There was a pause in the conversation as everyone stopped to think about what I was saying. A small part of myself was yelling that I was being an idiot, that I was betraying Tony's trust, but the larger part of me overwhelmed the little voice in my head. I had lost his trust years ago. This wasn't about me and Tony anymore. This was strictly about keeping him out of trouble.

"So what exactly do you propose?" Natasha asked, uncrossing her arms in favor of propping her arms on her waist. "You think we need someone on the inside? Someone he can trust?"

"Exactly. Not right away, of course. That would be too suspicious, having somebody new come in immediately after he announces that he's Iron Man."

"But when we need him to trust us," Nick finished my thought, leaning further back against his desk with a thoughtful expression. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you had quite a bit of experience in getting people to trust you."

I shrugged nonchalantly, recognizing the sarcasm in his tone. "It's easier to get things from people who trust you. Though I've never needed much of anything from anybody. I'm more of a loner."

" _Stark is leaving the building,"_ Coulson informed us. _"Should I follow him?"_

Nick tapped his fingers against his desk a few times, each thump resounding in the otherwise quiet office. When he made his decision, he sat straight up on his desk and turned his torso to face the phone as he spoke. "No. We know where he'll be if we need him. Return to headquarters."

" _Yes, sir."_

There was a _click_ when the phone call ended, followed by another moment of silence before Nick broke it once more by speaking to Natasha. "Find Agent Barton and tell him what's changed in the Stark file. For the time being, mark it off as To Be Determined."

Natasha nodded once to Nick, then once more to me as a goodbye before she turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind herself. When I was left alone with Nick, I took a hold of the chair I had been sitting in and rolled it in front of myself to use as a support as I rocked slightly back and forth on my feet.

I knew what I was thinking. I could only assume he knew as well- he usually did in times like these- so there was no point in delaying the conversation any further. "We never discussed what came after."

"After what?"

"Don't do that," I scolded, shaking my head. "Don't play dumb. We both know that you know exactly what I'm talking about, and pretending otherwise is the coward's way out. And being coward doesn't suit you."

Nick's mouth turned up into a smile at that. "You're right. I do know what you're talking about. What I don't know, and what I'm interested in learning, is how you'll bring it up."

This conversation could end one of several ways, determined by how carefully I approached it. If I knew one thing about myself, however, it was that I didn't care enough at this point to approach this carefully. "I could be out of this building before you even blinked, and we both know it."

"Then why are you still here?"

I had thought about that question a lot during my time here, both of my own free will and as a complacent captive. The answer was a simple one, though with a history so complicated and convoluted that it had taken me the better part of a month to work through it all. "I couldn't leave without knowing what would happen to him. I couldn't leave if I wasn't sure that he would be okay."

"And now?" He stood from his desk, looking pointedly towards the door before returning his eyes to mine. "You've been on the run a long time, Emma. Don't you think it's about time you stayed in one place for a while?"

For the first time in a long time, I actually laughed. And not some weak-ass chuckle, either. I'm talking full-blown, gut-grabbing, barely-left-standing laughter. Nick didn't look nearly as entertained as I was at the notion of me sticking around, but I honestly did not care. While I laughed away, he took the time to cross his arms over his chest with an unamused frown on his face.

It took a good minute, but eventually I was able to calm myself down while wiping away the small tears that had pooled at the edges of my eyes, though I was still giggling as I replied to Nick's offer. "I never took you for a comedian, Nick. I don't settle down- anywhere, for any reason, ever. I've never been welcome. And don't even try to convince me that I would be welcomed here, not after the way I've been treated."

"There is one difference," he pointed out. "You wouldn't have to hide here. No more false identities. No more hiding your talents. No more running."

"You're serious," I muttered to myself, running a hand down my face before propping it on my hip. I shook my head as I smiled patronizingly at Nick. "You don't trust me."

" _You_ don't trust _me_ … And I trust very few people, a lot less than I choose to work with." He continued to talk even after I rolled my eyes and looked away from him, dragging the chair around to its original position with my back to him. "Howard trusted you, and because of that I gave you more wiggle room than I've given a lot of people. But that only gets you so far. Even so, I'd like to think that you could do well here, if you learned how to stop running long enough to find a place you belonged, Emma."

"I don't _belong_ anywhere." I turned sharply to face him, no trace of the smile I'd previously worn left on my face. "There have been plenty places indescribably better than this one, plenty of people indescribably better than the people here. But none of that matters when you don't belong with them. I really hate repeating myself, so I'm only going to explain this to you once… I am not a SHIELD agent. I am not a runaway. I am not Emma Pierce. I am _nobody_. And 'nobody' doesn't belong- not here, not anywhere."

Nick was quiet for only a moment as he contemplated my words, his expression having returned to its natural neutrality. "Then why are you still here?" he repeated.

Except this time I had no answer for him. I didn't know why I was still there. There was no rhyme or reason to my actions anymore. For so many years I had run without a care in the world, but this new millennium had brought more changes than I thought I could ever truly adjust to. So I did the same thing I always have when I can't adjust.

A smile returned to my face, though this time it was one more placating than anything. "Goodbye, Nick."

He had no reply in the next moment, seeing as it had frozen with a simple flick of my wrist.

It was time yet again for me to move on. I knew and understood that, as I had since the day my father kicked me out of my home back at the start of my problems. Back then I had been so young and vulnerable, afraid yet cautiously hopeful. I wouldn't say it was a better time for me, but neither would I say it was a worse time. Though more time than I had ever cared to see had passed, it seemed I would never truly grow out of my bad habits.

I looked back over my shoulder only to see Nick standing in the exact position he had been for the last… well, since technically no time had passed, then he had only been in that position since the last second or so. I may control time, but that doesn't make me the master over it. There were still a million and three things I didn't understand about what I did.

That thought took me back to nearly ten years ago. To a lab with two scientists who loved each other, and who loved me. To a time when learning more about myself and my circumstances had been my priority. To an arguably better time.

I tapped my fingers thoughtfully against Nick's office door a few times before pulling it open and walking out, not bothering to offer the man a goodbye that he wouldn't hear as I walked the hallways of the Triskelion, making my way through the perfectly still lobby and straight out the front doors.

Technology had progressed immensely since the time of endlessly drawing the blood from my veins and running it through blocky computers with limited results. My plan had been to wait until there was a greater chance of me learning more than I had, and according to that plan, there was nothing really keeping me from carrying that plan through anymore. Tony was home and safe again. Thanks to leaving Chicago to come to SHIELD I would have to come up with a new identity and move to a new home anyway, so there would be no trouble there.

Of course, it wasn't as if I could simply go back to Willowdale- back to Bruce and Betty, back to the life I had once known- and pick up where I'd left off. Even if I wanted to, what guarantee did I have that life would be waiting for me if I chose to return? Though I had kept my promise of staying in touch for almost four years after I left them, it had been almost six years since I'd spoken to either Bruce or Betty. But if I was lucky, which was admittedly a rarity for me…

Education. It was an offer I had refused at the time, but one that I had no reason to stray from as of now. I knew more than enough to be a professor in some subjects. All I would need were some carefully forged papers, the right name, the right identity. It wouldn't be easy, but maybe it would be worth it.

It was a unique thing for me to look forward to the future, but that's the position I found myself in as time resumed its usual flow inside of the Triskelion and I made sure the gate was closed tightly behind myself. Now all I needed was a place to go, and a way to get there.


	11. November 2006

**November 2, 2006 – Clearbrook, Minnesota**

* * *

Dana Madsen. That was the name I was going by now, although a few students at the college I worked at had started referring to me as Professor Madsen. It was only a joke, seeing as I was simply a TA instead of an actual professor, but they all found it immensely hilarious for whatever reason and it soon began to stick as my actual title. Even a couple teachers had called me 'Professor' on occasion.

I rented a small one-bedroom home that was a ten-minute walk from the local grocery store and only a twenty-five-minute walk from the campus I worked at. My newspaper was delivered to my front door every morning, so I didn't have to find and pick one up any longer. My neighbors were hospitable, but never pushed when I turned down an invitation to dinner or a neighborhood meeting. They accepted my single lifestyle rather easily, which was a welcome change from the last few years.

With my new identity I decided to adopt a new look, which was something I hadn't considered over my last few moves. My usual unruly black hair had been cut off at my shoulders and dyed a rich brown color, which I found helped make me look older. I also bought a new wardrobe, changing from my usual comfort-over-couture style to a more professional look.

To put matters simply- I was happy with where I had ended up.

Which of course meant something had to go wrong.

One late night after hours spent grading papers on campus, I was walking myself home down dimly lit sidewalks with my mind on nothing in particular. This wasn't the first time I had walked home, as I had never bothered to buy a car when I moved here and taxis were far and few between. This was the first time, however, that I had a woman step out of the shadows to my left with a sickeningly fake smile plastered to her face.

"Hi," she greeted in a cheerful voice, waving with one hand while the other was shoved deep into her jacket pocket. "I don't mean to disturb you, but you wouldn't happen to be carrying any cash, would you? My car ran out of gas a few streets back, and I was just wondering if you would be so kind as to give me a bit of gas money."

Her story was so blatantly fake that I thought she must have been an amateur at this line of work, because the very least she could have done was make up some starving kid if she wanted my money that desperately. I had more than I knew what to do with and if she had truly needed some, handing over a couple tens would have been no problem whatsoever.

I didn't condone stealing, however. Which was honestly a bit hypocritical of me as I had committed my fair share of thievery back in the day, but that wasn't on my mind at that point in time. Instead, I figured I could make hers and everyone else's lives just a bit better if I could convince her that this wasn't a good career for her.

I continued walking until she was close enough for me to touch, and laid my hand on her shoulder. "You really don't want to steal from people," I told her, waiting for the fog of persuasion to cloud over her eyes. "You could get into trouble."

But her eyes never clouded. Her smile dropped into a menacing smirk as she pulled her hand out of her pocket and revealed a small palm-sized gun which she lifted to point at my chest. "I think you're the one in trouble, sweetheart. Unless, of course, you want to fill up my tank."

I faltered, glancing at my hand on her shoulder before returning my eyes to her very clear face. No, that didn't make any sense. All I had to do was touch her and she should have listened to me. That was how it had always worked, so why wasn't it working now?

Unwilling to take defeat so easily, I squeezed my fingers tighter around her shoulder and tried repeating myself. "You should go home."

"And you should stop telling me what to do," she growled, pushing the gun closer to me to remind me it was there- no matter how unnecessary the reminder was. "Just give me the fucking money." When I didn't respond, she raised her voice as her eyebrows knit in frustration. "Are you fucking deaf? I said-"

Her sentence was halted when I removed my hand from her shoulder and paused the time around her. I stared at her frozen form with confusion, raking my eyes over her angry eyes and her tense posture. "Why aren't you listening to me?" I asked with no expectations of her answering. "That usually works…"

I was too curious to simply let this slide. So, I focused on bending the timeline until she repeated her movements in reverse, returning the gun to her pocket as her features returned to civility. When I lowered my hand she dropped her shoulders and tilted her head slightly. "Hi. I don't mean to disturb you, but-"

"Go home," I instructed, pressing my palm firmly against her shoulder. But again, she only pulled her hand form her pocket and abandoned her friendly demeanor.

"I don't think-"

I never let her get a sentence out, repeating the process three more times before accepting that I wasn't going to be able to change her mind. I still didn't want to admit that something had happened to my power, but extended time travel still made me feel nauseous even after centuries of practice.

Keeping her paused until I could get a safe distance away, I gave up on trying to persuade her and simply continued on my way home. She would blink and I would be gone, but that didn't seem like a big deal to me. She wouldn't tell anyone that the woman she had been trying to mug had disappeared into thin air, and even if she did say she saw something odd there was no proof. I doubted anyone would believe her anyway.

I replayed the incident over and over in my head the entire walk home, walking into my living room and sitting down on my couch. I considered every factor, trying to work out why the powers that I had always considered a curse had decided to suddenly up and leave me the second I actually needed them.

"But the time travel worked," I wondered aloud, leaning against the back of the couch and running a hand over my mouth as I stared at the floor thoughtfully. "How the hell does that work?"

I hadn't learned anything more about myself in the small time I'd been working at the college as I'd been started in history rather than science and had no excuse for working in the labs. Not to mention that running experiments on yourself was frowned upon much more than it had been in the early 90's.

I wasn't great friends with any of the other teachers either, and hadn't ever discussed my 'genetic mutations' with them. In fact, there were only two people outside of SHIELD who knew anything about me being anything other than normal.

Bruce and Betty.

It had been a good eight years since I'd talked to either of them, but if I was lucky and they still had the same phone numbers… Of course, they would more than likely be angry with me for cutting off contact but just maybe they would still like me enough to let me ask a few questions.

I tapped my fingers against my cheek a few times as I considered this possibility before finally shrugging to myself and thinking, _What the hell?_ The worst that could happen was I got yelled at or hung up on. Pushing myself off the couch, I went to dig around in my kitchen drawers until I found the old, outdated cell phone I kept with the personal numbers of the people I had been unable to completely disconnect myself from over the last few decades.

I scrolled through the contacts list, feeling nostalgic over better days with each name. I decided to call Bruce first, as he seemed less likely to be upset with me. He had always better understood my need for solidarity and was more likely to be accepting of my sudden return than Betty.

As the phone rang, I rocked nervously on my feet and rested my elbows against the counter, half-hoping he wouldn't pick up so I could avoid an awkward conversation. I almost thought he wouldn't with how long it rang, but twelve rings in the phone finally _clicked._

"Who is this?"

My feet stilled over the tile at the sound of his voice, partly because he had actually answered and partly because he sounded so… tired? Cautious? I couldn't quite place my finger on the emotion in his tone, but regardless he didn't sound as if he was doing well.

"Hey, Bruce. It's, uh… It's Sarah. Is this a bad time?" I asked, chuckling quietly while tangling my fingers in my hair.

He didn't respond for a moment, and I almost thought he hung up on me before he spoke up again. "He told you to call me," he concluded with disappointment in his voice. "He won't let me talk to Betty, but he finds you to try and get to me?"

"Wait," I interrupted him. "Who is _he_? Who won't let you talk to Betty?"

"Don't do that," he scoffed. "I should have known he would do anything to find me… I won't tell you where I am. Tell Ross he'll have to try harder than this."

"Bruce, what the hell are you talking about? Nobody told me to find you."

" _Stop lying to me!_ "

We both went silent after he snapped. I had no idea what he was talking about, but whatever had happened to him had caused him some serious problems. I could tell that much even from the few sentences we had spoken. He was the first to talk again, as I had no idea what to say to him then.

"How did you do it?" he asked in a barely audible whisper, so quiet that I had to press the phone closer to my ear to hear him. "How did you keep running?"

This was territory I had never discussed with anyone, but something in Bruce's broken voice made my heart ache. So I moved back to my couch as I talked to him, grabbing a pillow that I hugged against my chest. "I told you before. I've always been a nomad. It might be hard at first, making friends only to abandon them… Actually, it's still pretty hard. Every time I leave I wish I didn't have to… Why are you running, Bruce?"

"… You really don't know?"

"Like I said," I shrugged to myself, propping my head up on my fist. "I have no idea what you've been talking about this whole time."

"Then why did you call me? After eight years of ignoring me, why are you calling me now?"

"The truth? Because I'm selfish. I've recently had some… complications with my genetic mutation- the one I got from my mom? I never told anyone else about it except you and Betty, so I thought that maybe I could talk to you about it. I don't really have anyone else."

He actually laughed a little at that, though it wasn't hurtful. It was more like a laugh of understanding, like he knew what it felt like to not have anybody. "Yeah. Yeah, I can relate."

"You didn't answer my question," I pointed out, though I approached the subject carefully. He seemed very jumpy, and I didn't want to scare him off by pushing him into talking about something he didn't want to talk about. "What are you running from?"

Once again he took a while to answer, but I didn't rush him. If he wanted to answer me, he would in his own time. "What are _you_ running from?"

Well that was a loaded question if ever I'd heard one. I really liked Bruce, maybe even loved him. I cared about very few people in my lifetime, and when I did it had never ended well for me. But I could tell that Bruce was having the same problem as me, which made me feel like I could talk to him. Maybe not with the full truth, but just close enough for him to feel the same way I did- like a kindred spirit.

Keeping my life a secret from everyone had gone out the window when I'd confessed my life story to Nick, and partially to a few others at SHIELD. At this point, what was one more person knowing a half-truth?

"How much time do you have?" I asked, making myself more comfortable.

"Currently? All the time in the world."

"You might want to sit down."


	12. February 2009

**February 10, 2009 – Clearbrook, Minnesota**

* * *

I was standing in the kitchen making a cup of overly-sweet coffee when I heard my laptop beep from the living room. Before I even left the kitchen I knew who it would be, as he was the only person I talked to on the computer.

A mere seven months after I first reconnected with Bruce, he had abandoned his phone for fear that General Ross was tracking it. Instead, he had opted for a computer that he built himself as a form of communication. Luckily, I had the luxury of simply buying one from the nearest Best Buy. I did have to be taught by him how to encrypt my messages though- a skill I figured would be useful for someone like me to have.

I wiggled the mouse to wake up the screen as I sipped my drink, my eyes scanning over his message as soon as it lit up. The letters were bright green, which fittingly matched his online persona as 'Mister Green'. Even though I knew who he really was, he insisted that I never use his real name.

 _I have good and bad news._

 _Good news first_ , I responded after setting my drink to the side.

 _Mr. Blue can help me with a cure._

That was certainly a shock. Bruce had been searching for any sort of antidote to his… predicament for the last four years, and had never made any real progress. It was such a unique situation that he didn't have any other cases to study, leaving him to try and solve his problem completely on his own.

Of course as soon as I knew what had happened to him, I threw my expertise in the area into the ring to try and help him, but there wasn't much more I could do that he hadn't already tried. Especially considering we were nearly 6000 miles away from each other.

 _The bad news?_

It took him a moment to reply, and I could imagine his nervous tick of running his hand over his face and through his hair before he typed.

 _He needs the original data. From Culver._

I blew out a deep breath with my hands locked behind my head, re-reading the message a few times. Bruce had certainly found himself in a tricky situation this time. Coming back home- especially back to Culver- would be nearly impossible with all the surveillance he had on him, even after all these years.

From what he had told me, even SHIELD had been hired to start following him a couple years ago. That was added incentive to the part of me that wanted to offer my help, but the larger, more reasonable part of my brain was telling me how stupid of an idea that was.

I doubted SHIELD was very happy with me after my sudden disappearance, especially considering how intent Nick had seemed on keeping me under threat watch. Getting openly involved with Bruce would only make them angrier with me, and another reason to want me back under their 'protection'.

 _I don't know what to tell you_ , I eventually responded to Bruce. _You know that I can't go back there._

 _I'm not asking you to. I know you would never ask me to risk myself for you, and I won't get you involved in this either. Besides, I know you're having your own problems right now._

I've said it before, and I'll say it another million times. Thank the universe for people like Bruce Banner. We had discussed before our reluctance to involving ourselves with things that could potentially lead to our exposure, and we had agreed that it was rarely worth the risk. For the first time in my life, I could support somebody from the sidelines without the following guilt. That in no way stopped me from worrying, however.

 _Keep me updated on what's happening. I want to know that you make it in and out safely._

 _Can do._

I started to type my next message before pausing and deleting it, considering whether or not I should bring it up. It was a sensitive subject for him, but one that I thought he should at least think about if he was going to be there. Not that I was in any way the best judge of how one handle's such situations, but I never have been one to hold back my opinion simply because I'm unqualified to give it.

 _Let me know if you see Betty._

After two minutes of no reply I thought that I might have upset him. After five, I thought that I might have _actually_ upset him. After fifteen, I thought that wow, I had really fucked up. So I decided to message him again, worrying that if he was angry with me, I would go back to being alone. That may have worked for me for a long, long time, but now that I had experienced having people who had my back I didn't think I could ever go back.

 _Sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. Just let me know that you're staying relatively safe._

Another twenty minutes went by before I was on the verge of panic. I had no other means of communication with him, so if there was a reason for him not replying that didn't involve a hissy fit I would have no way of knowing. I left the messages open as I stood and began to pace my small living room, casting the occasional glance in the screen's direction to see if he had replied yet.

It took six hours and seven messages asking if he was all right for me to really regret never finding out his exact location. There was little chance of me dropping everything to run after him even if I had known it, but the fact that I _couldn't_ drop everything to run after him wasn't comforting in the least.

This was exactly what I _didn't_ need right now. As Bruce had mentioned earlier, the problems I had been encountering with my own mutation hadn't righted themselves with time. My persuasion had been on the fritz for nearly four years now, which seemed like a minor issue considering I had only ever used it when I couldn't find another way out of a situation.

Lately, however, my control over time had been spotty. I discovered the problem almost three weeks ago when I had burned myself while cooking dinner. It was a nuisance at worst, but one I was not in the mood to deal with at the time. So instead of simply covering the burn with a bandage, I decided to rewind so that it never happened. Problem solved, right?

Except even with more concentration than had been required for me to make my dramatic exit from the Triskelion, I was unable to rewind the three seconds it would have taken to remove the injury. By the time I was able to move through time again, the burn mark had already disappeared on its own. I hadn't had a problem after that, but it was still worrying. For powers I never wanted, it was annoying that they never seemed to work when I actually needed them lately.

As far as Bruce knew, the genetic mutation that my mother had given me- which was the story he still believed- had been acting up by making me sick. Whether it be migraines or nausea, I had become a bit of a homebody lately as I was afraid of having an episode in public.

I had yet to give him the full details of what made me different than everybody else, and he had never talked to me about what made him different either. What I did know was from rumors that had spread across the internet involving an incident at Culver years ago, and that he became a different person when his heart rate went above 200 beats per minute.

Despite the secrecy we both held dear, I was relieved to have found a confidant in Bruce. With the both of us constantly moving from place to place, it was understandably difficult to befriend people for reasons of our own.

Which is why when it took another two weeks for me to hear from him again, it was also understandable that I had been on the verge of buying a plane ticket to Brazil and searching the entire country until I found him and made sure he was okay.

It was only two days until March when my old cell phone rang, an unknown number displayed across the screen. I had never had anyone I didn't know call that number, but still I was cautious. It would be a huge blow to lose the phone, but if the wrong people had gotten a hold of it then I would have no choice but to get rid of it. "Hello?"

"Sarah?"

I knew that voice. " _Bruce_? Where the hell have you been?! Why are you using a phone? Where did you even get one? Are you okay?"

"I don't have much time to talk," he interrupted without answering any of my questions. "So I need you to listen very carefully. I know I said I wouldn't ask for your help, but Betty and I need you."

"Wait, you're with Betty?"

"Meet me at the corner of Verdin Street and Terrance Avenue in West Bank, Virginia tomorrow night. Bring cash only. I'll explain everything."

Before I had the chance to ask any more questions that would go unanswered the phone clicked, signaling that Bruce had hung up on the other end. Meanwhile, I was left standing in the middle of my living room with a stunned expression and no idea what to do.

On the one hand, if Bruce was asking for my help than he must be _really_ desperate. He had also mentioned that he was with Betty, and judging by how quickly he had spoken and hung up then he was most likely being followed by the General. If that was true, I could see why he would risk calling me and asking me to meet with him.

On the other hand, this could be a huge risk to my own anonymity. If SHIELD was involved in the search for Bruce, then traveling anywhere with him would put me back on their radar. And if SHIELD knew that Bruce and I were working together, we would both be put under even heavier surveillance than we already were.

Was all of this trouble really worth it for a man I had known for a brief time twenty years ago, and owed no debt to other than the one I made up in my head for being able to discuss my problems with?

Within half an hour I was in a taxi on my way to the nearest airport with all the cash I had on hand and a printed out ticket for the next flight to Virginia held tightly in my hand. I had managed to keep myself safe from SHIELD and other agencies for decades now on my own. For everything Bruce had helped me with over the years, and for everything I understood he was struggling with, the very least I could do for him was ensure him the same protection.

* * *

 **February 27, 2009 – West Bank, Virginia**

* * *

On the corner of Verdin Street and Terrance Avenue was a small gas station surrounded by beat up cars and racks of tires, both flat and new. Due to the rain from the night before the entire lot was wet and slippery, but I had chosen to walk the last half mile to the location anyway instead of trusting a stranger to drive me here.

As I walked up to the building, I wondered if Bruce and Betty would even be there. Whether because of the building's appearance or the early morning hour, it looked like I would be alone here. My theory proved wrong, however, when I heard a quiet giggle from behind a rundown truck hidden on the far side of the building.

It wasn't until I rounded the corner of the station that I saw Bruce with his back to the truck and Betty standing in front of him with a digital camera pointed in his direction. She was the first to see me as Bruce had his back to me, and when she did her smile slowly dropped into a look of confusion.

Bruce took a defensive step closer to her when he saw her reaction, turning to see what had changed her expression. I knew he recognized me from the light in his eyes, but it was apparent that he was just as clueless as Betty as to why the only difference in my appearance from the early 90's to now was that my hair was shorter.

There was an awkward silence between the three of us for just a moment longer than made me comfortable, so I decided I would be the first to speak. Holding out the small black bag filled with cash drawn from multiple ATM's along the way, I offered my best apologetic smile to them. "I brought the cash. Do you want to explain everything now or later?"

"I don't understand," Betty mumbled, shaking her head. "You look…"

"Great?" I joked, chuckling somewhat nervously. When that did nothing to lighten the mood, I dropped my cheerful façade with a sigh and shrugged my shoulders. "Look, considering the company we find ourselves in," I started with a pointed look at Bruce, "I don't really think that I should be our main focus right now. Aren't we on a bit of a time crunch, anyway?"

Thankfully, that seemed to remind them of our present situation. Bruce quickly regained his composure and left Betty's side to stand in front of me. The smile he wore looked the slightest bit forced, but the gratitude in his eyes was genuine. "Thanks for coming."

"For you? Anytime."


	13. February 2009 - Part 2

**February 27, 2009 – New York City, New York**

* * *

The air in the car had been tense when we first started towards our destination. It was clear that neither Bruce nor Betty had any clue what to say to me after all these years, despite the stable relationship I'd maintained with Bruce for the last four. I had anticipated some apprehension with the discovery that I was quite obviously not normal, though neither of them had much idea as to how or why, but that didn't make it any less awkward as I rode silently in the back seat of the rundown truck they had purchased with my cash before we set off.

We were headed to New York City, Bruce had told me the night before after a good twenty minutes of straight silence. The 'Mr. Blue' Bruce claimed could find the cure for his condition was a teacher at a college there, and was willing to meet with us.

There wasn't much conversation after that. Bruce eventually fell into a restless sleep, fidgeting in the passenger seat as he mumbled incoherently. I watched as Betty laid a gentle hand on his thigh, which at least partly calmed him. That act is what prompted me to speak up- quietly, as to not disturb Bruce. I knew he rarely slept well, and I didn't want to be the cause of another long night for him.

"Bruce is lucky to have you," I told her. "It's… very rare to find somebody so open-minded, so willing to overlook… He's very lucky to have you."

I saw the edges of her eyes wrinkle in the rear-view mirror, and I knew that she was smiling as she answered. "Thank you." She paused then, considering her words before she said them. "I think we're lucky to have your support, too. I don't know how you look- how you _are_ … I suppose it doesn't matter, though. It's like you said," she glanced at Bruce before returning her eyes to the road, "considering present company, whatever you're dealing with isn't really that strange."

I laughed quietly at the notion of being 'not strange' as I settled back into my seat. That thought was strange in and of itself- the thought that I could be seen as anything but strange. I wasn't about to argue with her over it, that was for sure.

"No. I guess not."

* * *

 **February 28, 2009 – New York City, New York**

* * *

I awoke to the sound of honking, squeezing my eyes more tightly closed for a moment before breathing deeply through my nose and forcing them open. The day was bright and colorful, though the color could be attributed mostly to the dozens of cars surrounding us on all sides. When I looked closer at our surroundings I realized that we were sitting under a bridge, unable to move. A blinking sign a few cars in front of us explained that, with bright yellow lights that read, "BE PREPARED TO STOP – ROADWORK AHEAD".

Bruce didn't believe that for a second. Making sure that his baseball cap sufficiently hid his face, he opened the door and took a step outside of the truck to see what was blocking our way into the city. It took him all of two seconds to lean back into the car, speaking calmly to me and Betty. "We gotta go. Walk toward the back, but don't move too fast."

With our main entrance blocked, we were going to have to find another way into the city. Thankfully, we were trying to find our way onto an island. One walk to the nearest boat rental store later, with a quick trip on a speedboat driven by a man who luckily had no idea who any of us were, and we were standing amidst the bustling crowd of New York City with none the wiser.

Standing on the corner of Chambers street, Betty looked over a map on the back of a subway tunnel trying to find out how we were supposed to get to Grayburn College from where we were currently. "It's a long way uptown," she said. "I think the subway's probably quickest."

Bruce turned slowly from facing the map to stare at Betty with a blank expression. "Me in a metal tube, deep underground, with hundreds of people in the most aggressive city in the world?"

" _Or_ ," I offered, stepping off to the side and throwing my hand in the air. It took a couple tries, but eventually a small yellow car pulled over in front of me, and I flashed a smile at Bruce and Betty. "Better?"

"Much," Bruce agreed, already moving to climb into the backseat.

Except it really wasn't. Soon after pulling out to the hectic streets of New York, our driver proved that a cab ride could be just as- if not more- violent as a busy subway. Bruce's heart monitor beeped rapidly on his wrist as the three of us were tossed around in the backseat like rag dolls while Betty clung to his hand and reminded him to breathe. Meanwhile I was reaching for the back of our driver's seat and screaming at him to slow down, but my scolding was largely ignored as he only continued to yell at other drivers and insult their mothers.

When we were finally able to escape the death trap that mad man called a taxi, Betty slammed the back door with enough force to rattle the windows before screeching at him, asking him if he was out of his mind. Bruce and I shot each other worried looks when she kicked his passenger door as he sped off, screaming after him that he was an asshole. She turned back to us with a huff, telling Bruce to zip it when he offered to teach her a few breathing techniques to help manage her anger.

It was a short walk to the college after that. The three of us waited in the middle of the courtyard as students rushed from one building to the next, waiting for the man we had come to see to appear. When he finally did walk out of a building to our left, Betty was the first to see and hurry towards him.

Bruce and I walked up behind her just as she was turning to face us, telling him that there was someone she thought he would like to meet. Sterns looked confused as to who Bruce was until he said, "It's Mr. Blue, isn't it?"

"Mr. Green?" he asked after a short pause, recognition lighting up his features. When Bruce nodded, Sterns laughed quietly to himself with a clap of his hands. "Oh, my. My, my, my. I never truly believed... Well, we can talk about that later. And you are?"

"Sarah," I answered when he looked to me. "I'm a friend. Do you have somewhere a little more private we could go?"

"Of course!" Sterns looked around at the crowd, smiling with satisfaction when he saw that nobody was watching us before ushering us back inside the building he had just walked out of. "Come, come. I have so much to show you."

He led us up several flights of stairs and into a small room at the back corner of the building that I was sure nobody would look twice at. Inside there were three mismatched chairs in a sloppy circle surrounded by towers of books and strewn papers, backdropped by a large chalkboard with scribbled numbers, letters, and graphs. Bruce, Betty and I all took seats when offered by Sterns, who stood practically bouncing in front of his chalkboard as he looked between the three of us- but mostly towards Bruce.

"I got to tell you, I've been wondering if you were even real. And if you were, what would it look like? A person with that much power lurking in him. Nothing could have surprised me more than this unassuming man," he said, gesturing towards Bruce with a disbelieving chuckle, "shaking my hand! But look, we're not strolling into a park for a picnic, here. Even if everything goes perfectly- if we induce an episode, if we get the dosage exactly right- is that going to be a lasting cure, or just some antidote to suppress that specific flare-up?"

He shrugged his shoulders before slapping his hands down on his thighs, shaking his head. "I don't know. What I'm saying is that if we overshoot this by even the smallest integer, we're dealing with concentrations with extraordinary levels of toxicity."

"You mean it could kill him," Betty interrupted. Her face was devoid of expression, but the lack of light in her usually bright eyes showed just how much she didn't like this idea.

"Kill him? Pfft, yeah. I should say so."

"No it wouldn't." All eyes turned to me, but none faster than Sterns. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, though a smile was twitching at his lips as he scoffed.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but-"

"It wouldn't kill him," I repeated. I may not have known the specifics of what happened to Bruce when his heart rate climbed over 200, but I did know all the numbers and all the science behind why it happened. "If he was exposed to that same level of radiation when he first changed, then there's no reason to think it would kill him now."

Sterns' smile dropped only the slightest as he glanced off to the side for just a moment, appearing to be calculating something before he looked back at me. "But I don't plan to let him change. He would be on suppressants. Those _could_ kill him."

"Only if I don't change," Bruce clarified, combining my line of thinking with Sterns'. "If we induce me and the experiment fails, I wouldn't be the one in danger."

Sterns laughed at that, shaking his head happily. "Look, I've always been more curious than cautious, and that's served me pretty well. So, are we gonna do this?"

* * *

In the back part of the room there was another door, that when we entered we saw a makeshift lab. Machines that whirred and beeped when Sterns flipped them on, bright lights hanging from the ceiling, heart monitors, IV distributors- all circled around a raised chair with thick straps dangling from the arm and legs rests. The sight made me sick to my stomach as Sterns instructed Bruce to lay on the table, strapping him down and insuring him that the restraints were for his own protection in case of a strong reaction.

I waited on Bruce's left side with Betty on his right, clinging tightly to his hand, as Stern hurried to the back of the room to set up the antidote. It was probably the worst time to say anything, but I couldn't stop myself. "This is a bad idea," I mumbled, shaking my head.

I wasn't looking at Bruce's face, but I heard the shuffle of his hair against the leather seat when he turned to look at me. "I _need_ this to work, Sarah. I need this cure."

"What if it's not a cure?" I asked, looking up from the floor. "What if it makes you worse? What if it makes you stronger instead of weaker? Why are we even trusting this guy to run tests on you?"

"Because I have no other choice," Bruce insisted in a harsh whisper, though the harshness came not from anger, but desperation. I could see it in his eyes and hear it in his tone of voice- he truly believed this was the only way. "I can't keep becoming that thing. This _has_ to work."

I still wasn't sure, but I shut myself up anyway. When Sterns walked back into the main part of the room I took a few steps back towards the door, crossing my arms over my chest. When Sterns told Bruce that this would be a "somewhat novel sensation", I turned to stare at the wall on my right instead of watch what I was sure would be a horror show. Betty simply continued to run her hand gently up his arm, smiling whenever he looked to her for confidence.

Sterns attached wires and thick stickers to Bruce's temples as the antidote mixed with his blood through the IV's before moving to stand behind him, a prong in each hand. "All right. We set to pop? I'd take your hands off him," he warned Betty.

When the prongs connected with Bruce's head, electricity crackled in the air and Bruce immediately convulsed with a groan that was muffled from the mouthguard he wore. His skin paled before taking on a sickly green shade, his veins protruding from his skin as his muscles rippled and began to double in size. He screamed and fought against his restraints as he transformed, growing much too large for the small chair as the three of us watched with varying expressions.

Sterns couldn't look more excited to see the outcome of what was happening. Betty reached out to him several times, clearly debating whether or not she should even touch him. I watched from my position near his feet, standing still as a statue as I saw for the first time what it was Bruce had been so keen to hide from me. All I could think as I watched was exactly how SHIELD would use him if they could get their hands on him, and it only made me want to stay more- to protect him from something I wasn't sure he understood.

When Bruce apparently reached his full size, he let out a scream so loud I was surprised it didn't shatter the walls, let alone alert anyone else on campus. That was when Betty began to yell at Sterns, instructing him to give Bruce the antidote now. He simply watched, however. He watched until Bruce's fist swung out and hit him in the jaw, knocking him to the floor.

Betty only glanced at Sterns on the floor before turning to me with a panicked expression and pointing at the machine meant to distribute the antidote. "Flip that switch!"

I did as I was told, even though I had no idea what was so special about this purple serum that could stop what was happening. I ran over to the machine and began pressing buttons, thanking my time with Bruce and Betty twenty years ago for understanding what the numbers scrolling across the screen meant.

When the purple serum began to seep through the tubes and into Bruce, Betty took that as her cue to climb on top of Bruce and hold his face in her hands. "Bruce! Bruce, look at me! Stay with me. Sarah is giving you the antidote. Bruce, look at me. Look in my eyes. Please, look at me."

I kept one hand on the kill switch in case the antidote would somehow make him worse, but I was glad to see that blue began to overtake his unusually green eyes and his loud roars quieted down into pained moans. The shrinking process was no less gruesome than it had been the other way around, and I didn't let myself breathe until he was back to normal size.

Sterns picked himself slowly off the floor with the help of the handles on the machines as Betty's hands trembled on Bruce's cheeks. His eyes finally opened when she called his name once more, and she let out a loud sigh of relief. "Bruce, you're okay. It's okay, you're okay. It's over."


	14. February 2009 - Part 3

**February 28, 2009 – New York City, New York**

* * *

We had returned to the sitting room, mimicking our earlier positions as if that entire ordeal hadn't just occurred. Betty ran her hands comfortingly through Bruce's hair on the couch to my left as Sterns paced back and forth, weaving among the scattered textbooks as he muttered scientific jargon to himself. I tried to keep my staring to a minimum, but of course Bruce noticed it anyway. He always was observant.

"You don't have to stay," he said quietly, so that only Betty and I could hear him. "I know that what just happened… that _thing_ you just saw… I know it can be a lot, and you've already done more than enough for me. If you're not comfortable here, you don't have to stay."

I had considered leaving, of course. Hell, every instinct in my body had screamed at me to run as fast as I could and never look back the second I saw Bruce turn green. But then I thought about his and Betty's faces when they saw me, after twenty years, in prime condition. The confusion mixed with the fear of the unknown. I'm sure it had closely mirrored my own when I first saw Bruce's transformation.

Still, it was no secret that they were much better people than I was. I had come to accept the fact that I would always be selfish, and I would always be afraid. A fact that strongly held true right now.

And yet… "You think I can't handle a little green in my day?" I joked, smirking when Bruce's shoulder released just the smallest amount of tension. He had been worried I would leave, even if he would try to hide it. "Trust me, Banner. I've seen a hell of a lot weirder than you in my time. You'll have to try just a little harder than that to scare me off."

Betty smiled thankfully as she reached across the small gap between their couch and my chair to squeeze my hand, sending her appreciation through her expression. It was clear that she was going to support Bruce through anything that came their way- be it hell or high water. It was also clear that she was glad she wasn't going to have to take on that task alone.

"That was the most _extraordinary_ thing I have seen in my life!"

We all jumped when Sterns slammed his hands down on the coffee table that separated us, the pound sounding as the punctuation in his exclamation. Betty recovered first, leaning forward and putting on her serious face. "We need to talk about what just happened in there."

"Oh, absolutely! Okay," Sterns said, shaking his hands out to calm himself down before standing upright and delving into his explanation. "The gamma pulse came from the amygdala. I think Dr. Ross' primer lets the cells absorb the energy temporarily, and then it abates. That's why you didn't die of radiation sickness years ago!

"Now, maybe we've neutralized those cells permanently, or maybe we just suppressed that event. I'm inclined to think the latter, but it's hard to know because none of our test subjects ever survived. Of course, they weren't getting the primer-"

A million red flags shot up, along with Bruce, Betty and I straightening our backs in our seats. "Wait, what did you just say?" Bruce asked.

"They weren't getting the myostatin primer-"

"No, no, no. Test subjects. What test subjects?"

Sterns' smile grew wider as he began to back up towards a door we hadn't been through yet, his finger curling to indicate we should follow. "Come with me."

We sent each other worrying looks before standing to trail after him, our guards up to the brim. I allowed Bruce and Betty to enter before me so that I could lift my hand up to my waist without being seen, subtly tensing my fingers in an attempt to pause time.

Unsurprisingly, nothing happened.

Frustrated, though not surprised, I balled my hand into a fist and listened to Sterns ramble about his experiments. "We started on rats and mice, but they were almost instantly fried so we had to go bigger. And we still don't know which is more toxic, the gamma or your blood."

"What do you mean my blood?" Bruce asked just as we went through a second set of doors, leading us into a startlingly white room filled with neat rows of glass containers, each holding dangling blood bags that had been labeled in assorted colors.

Sterns chuckled as he twisted and turned through the containers, holding his arms out by his sides. "Bruce, this is all you! You didn't send me much to work with, so I had to concentrate it and make more. With a little more trial and error, there's no end to what we could do! This is potentially Olympian! This gamma technology had _limitless_ applications. We'll unlock hundreds of cures. We will make humans impervious-"

In a gut reaction, I latched onto the back of Sterns' shirt and pulled him back, only to slam him against the wall of the container to my right. If he was surprised by my action, it didn't show in his endlessly excited expression- not when my nose was practically touching his, and not when I lowered my voice into a furious whisper. "Get rid of it."

What Sterns was doing to Bruce was my worst nightmare. Being used by someone who had no idea what they were up against, being treated as a lab rat instead of a human being. My abilities that I never asked for, never wanted, becoming weaponized by an imbecile.

That was not how he saw it, apparently.

"Get rid of it?" He scoffed, shaking his head. "No, no! We can use it to make-"

I tightened my hold on his collar, shoving him harder against the glass. " _We_ are not doing anything with it, and neither are you. We're getting rid of it, _right now._ "

Sterns' face finally dropped, his grin turned to a frown as he looked towards Bruce and Betty who had been watching the exchange with unreadable expressions. "Bruce, tell her. You've felt the power, you know what it can do! This is what we've been working for, for years!"

Bruce shook his head, moving to stand closer by my side. "She's right. What you're doing is wrong, even if you don't know it. The government would-"

He didn't have the chance to finish when the sound of the window breaking behind him turned out to be a well-aimed tranquilizer embedding itself into his shoulder. I immediately dropped Sterns to turn and grab Bruce's shoulders, holding him upright as Betty rushed over to help support him.

Before any of us had the proper time to react to what had just happened, the doors we had come through were kicked open. When I saw an unknown man marching in dressed in full tactical gear, my only thought was that SHIELD had finally found us.

Bruce must have known who the man was, because he pushed weakly at Betty and I. "Get out," he commanded in a quiet voice, staring ahead at the man who continued to stalk ever closer to the three of us on the ground. In a moment of panic, I forgot my irritating lack of abilities and stood in front of Bruce and Betty, holding my arm out uselessly in an attempt to stop him from coming any closer.

It didn't work. He snatched my wrist and twisted it at an unnatural angle, causing me to shout in pain before I was thrown to the side, through a glass container and landing among scattered bags of blood. My vision was clouded with pain, but I still heard Betty's scream before her body thudded against a surface I couldn't see.

An irritating beeping sounded thrummed against my growing headache as the man growled, "Where is it? Come on, where is it? _Show him to me!_ "

As my sight slowly returned to me, I saw the man holding Bruce upright as he slapped him repeatedly. Angry heat burned in my chest, fighting against the cold voice in my head instructing me to hide before more could show up and take me. Anger won out, forcing my hand out despite all knowledge that it wasn't going to work.

My fingers trembled, my hand shaking from the continuous waves of pain washing over me. The concentration I was putting into my effort made my head pound. My vision tunneled, all attention on the man attempting to beat Bruce into submission.

He paused with his hand pulled back, and for a moment I thought that I had finally done it. Then I heard the footsteps and the call for, "Blonsky!"

The man- Blonsky? – growled, dropping Bruce before kicking the side of his head and finally knocking him unconscious. I dropped my hand flat against the ground when he turned in a slow circle, observing the damage he had caused. When his eyes landed on me, I hoped beyond all hope that he wasn't working with SHIELD, that he didn't know who I was, and that he wouldn't turn his violence against me next.

I sighed in relief when he looked away, though my relief was short-lived as more agents stormed into the room and started shouting incoherently. My body ached from the harsh landing, so it was no help when one of them grabbed my arms and dragged me into a sitting position. He searched my face for a moment before grabbing the radio attached to his shoulder. "One unknown. Female, mid-twenties. Possible head injury." His eyes raked down my body then, stopping at the arm Blonsky had latched onto. "Possible injury to the left wrist and forearm."

I didn't hear the reply of whoever he had been talking to, but could only assume it was an order to bring me with them as he replied with a curt, "Yes, sir," before tucking his arms underneath my knees and the other firmly around my shoulders and lifting me into a bridal carry.

My clearing thoughts were buzzing with anxiety, and I knew that if this man brought me in to whatever authority he had, that I would be the loser of my little game of hide-and-seek with SHIELD. When I tried to push against the soldier, however, trying to roll out of his grasp and away from the danger, he only held me tighter to him. "Don't worry," he said in what I assumed was supposed to be a calming voice. "We're the good guys."

I might have laughed if the situation wasn't so dire.

* * *

 **As you may have seen in my recent poll, it has been decided that I Am Nobody will be updated the most frequently of my three current stories. This means that instead of switching between weeks for the stories as I've done in the past, I will try to update this story every week, along with one of my other stories every other week. Does that make sense? I hope so.**

 **We are quickly coming to a close with the Incredible Hulk timeline, with only one chapter left- The Battle of Harlem.**

 **Though I know where I'm taking Emma from here through the Avengers timeline, I'm open to any suggestions you may have as to what movies you'd like to see her in and what role you'd like her to play. Leave any suggestions you may have as a review, or send me a quick PM!**

 **I'll see you all in the next update.**


	15. February 2009 - Part 4 - Final

_**dleshae – "You could pair her up with Steve."**_ **– While I never intended for this story to contain a romance involving Emma, if that's something enough of you wanted then of course I would consider it. If you would like to see Emma paired with someone, let me know who!**

 _ **Guest – "Will Emma develop any other powers due to her time shifting?"**_ **– The answer to this question is a tricky one, as I wouldn't want to spoil any future plans for the story if at all avoidable. I can say that I do have an explanation for how she has the powers she does (even if they're being quite fickle at the moment), and that revelation is not too far off.**

 **If you have any questions/recommendations for this story, I am always open to hearing your opinions! PMs/reviews are welcome, and can be quite helpful in moving the story along. Happy New Year! :)**

* * *

 **February 28, 2009 – New York City, New York**

* * *

I sat in the back of an ambulance with a "shock blanket"- thought I wouldn't call myself in shock-wrapped tightly around my shoulders, my left hand cradled in my right. I would have tried to run if it weren't for the two soldiers standing on either side of the ambulance, accompanying the other dozen patrolling the area. Instead I watched with sad eyes as Bruce was wheeled out of the building, strapped down to a gurney. General Ross whispered something in his ear before he was moved on, and I ducked my head when he glanced in my direction.

I had only met the General once during the years I had known Bruce and Betty, but I didn't want to risk him remembering me. If Bruce's information was correct, then he was working with SHIELD. That wouldn't do me any good at all.

His eyes passed easily over my form, however, without so much as a pause before he was standing in front of an indignant Betty. I watched with a small smile that I couldn't help as she refused to show him any sort of affection after his treatment of the love of her life.

Eventually he stopped trying to convince her that he only had her best interests in mind and allowed her to follow after Bruce. That meant trouble for me, as his face quickly returned to one of unfeeling stone before he started towards the ambulance I was currently inhabiting.

He dismissed the soldiers who had been guarding me, waiting for them to march away before he spoke. "Who are you?" When I didn't reply, simply keeping my face turned away from his, he tried again. "Why are you with Banner? Are you a friend of his?"

Still I remained silent. His feet entered my vision when he stepped closer, clamping a firm hand down on my shoulder. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Either way I'm going to get the answers I'm looking for, so why don't you do us both a favor and just tell me who you are?"

My heart fluttered furiously in my chest and my palms began to sweat. If I was lucky I might get away with giving him a fake name, but if he recognized me then it was all over. Without my abilities I was useless- nothing more than a stubborn woman on the run. There would be no getting away if he decided to hand me over- not this time.

Instead of asking again, he moved his hand to my chin and jerked my face until our eyes met. I waited for the recognition to flash in his eyes, for his grip to tighten, for the name 'Sarah' to leave his lips.

None of these things happened.

"If you're going to be that way," he practically growled, dropping my face to retrieve a pair of handcuffs from his belt. I flinched in pain as he slapped the metal against my sprained wrist, but knew that this could have gone much worse. Instead of being promised to SHIELD, I was grabbed by the elbow and led towards the helicopter Bruce and Betty had been loaded onto. The word 'RESCUE' was printed on the side in bold, white letters, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Ross sat me next to Betty with a hard shove before moving to the front of the helicopter as the loading door closed behind us and we took off into the night sky. I stared blankly at my feet, feeling too many emotions to simply pick one. The plane was silent and still until another foot tapped against my own. When I looked up I saw Bruce offer me a sad smile. I glanced at the soldier sitting to his right before returning my eyes to his, silently telling him that I wasn't free to talk to him here. He nodded his understanding before turning back to Betty, easily slipping his hand inside of hers when she held it out.

I looked down to my own hands then, squeezing my fingers as tightly as I could without irritating my sprain. I had always secluded myself from people because of my fear. My fear of being captured, of being called a freak, of potentially hurting those I couldn't stop myself from caring about. But looking back at Bruce- at how openly he loved Betty even when everything he had been running from had finally caught up to him?

I had been close to few people in my life. Bruce. Betty. Coulson. Peggy. Jarvis. Tony. All of them I had run from for my own selfish reasons, and all of them I had looked back on for the same reasons. I looked again at Bruce and Betty's intertwined hands, considering.

Maybe staying with people- not everyone, but those I trusted to understand and accept me- wouldn't be the end of the world after all.

" _Delta 4 to Leader, Delta 4 to Leader!"_

Everyone in the back of the helicopter turned to General Ross as his radio came to life with panicked voices, the background filled with screams demanding that the area be evacuated. "Come in Delta 4," Ross responded. "This is Leader. What's your situation?"

" _Something big just went off down here! The Hulk is in the street, I repeat, the Hulk is in the street!"_

Ross turned to stare at Bruce incredulously for a moment before turning back to his radio, shaking his head. "That's impossible. You get a hold of yourself, young man. Get it together. What is your position?"

" _121_ _st_ _Street, heading North on Broadway."_

"Turn us around."

Arms and legs became tangled as the helicopter banked a hard left, turning until we were facing the way we had just come. Betty kept the hand that wasn't in Bruce's in a firm grip against my knee, helping to hold me up as I avoided supporting myself with my injured wrist. "We're going back," Bruce mumbled before turning to Ross and speaking up. "Why are we going back?"

His question was ignored as the General slapped the side of his laptop, demanding that he be given eyes on the scene. After a quick, _"Yes, sir,"_ the screen flickered on, displaying the destruction below us.

The heavy New York traffic was interrupted by army tanks rushing the wrong way down the road, causing one civilian's car to crash into a fire hydrant and sprinkle the street in erupting water. People ran screaming in and out of buildings as fire blazed on, assumingly caused by an explosion in the background. The camera grew closer to the flame, revealing a bulky shadow.

Sirens wailed as the shadow picked up a car as easily as you could pick a flower, throwing it at the tank holding our cameraman. The image became fuzzy, flickering on and off, causing Bruce to stand quickly with a shout. He was immediately detained, a soldier on either side of him and holding him back from Ross.

Betty and I were quick to follow, abandoning our seats in favor of staring at the flickering screen. It felt like an eternity before color slowly returned to the screen, sending a collective sigh of relief throughout the helicopter as we once again had visual. Our relief was short-lived when the sound of a roar echoed not only from the speakers on the computer, but also from directly below us.

"One of yours?"

It wasn't until Bruce said something that I realized Sterns hadn't been the first to try and hone his power into a bottle. Glaring daggers at Ross, I fought to keep my voice at a reasonable volume. "You tried to recreate that- that…" I stopped myself, catching the twitch of Bruce's lips. I didn't have to say the word for him to know how I was going to finish. _Monster._

To his credit, Ross's face held nothing but remorse as he watched the abomination he had created wreak havoc on Harlem. The final straw was when one soldier fired a missile at the beast, only for him to catch it and let it explode in his hands without so much as stumbling. _"Give me a real fight!"_

As a taxi landed atop the cameraman, the screen finally cut black once and for all. We all stared on in horrified silence, save for the pilot of the helicopter. "Sir?" he asked quietly, looking to Ross for direction. "Sir?"

"… Tell them to bring everything they've got and head for Harlem."

"No." I watched Bruce shake his head and take a small step backwards, staring at Ross with an odd mixture of resignation and hope. "It has to be me. You have to take me back there."

Images of the Hulk- of _Bruce-_ going head-to-head against the monster that was brutally slaughtering dozens of innocent people only feet below us made bile rise in the back of my throat. I had only seen how different he looked when he transformed and had yet to personally experience his strength, but I had every doubt that this fight would end without more casualties.

"And what if you can't control it?" Ross asked, not rejecting the idea but not looking comfortable with it either.

"We made this thing," he sighed. "Please. Keep the helicopter high, just open the back door."

Betty shook her head as Ross nodded, hurrying after him as he walked with determination to the lowering hatch. "Bruce! Bruce, stop! Stop! What are you doing? Think about this, you don't even know if you'll change!" When he almost tumbled backwards out of the aircraft, she gripped onto his forearm and pulled him closer to her face, her voice thick with desperation. "You don't have to do this! Please, this is insane!"

I walked forward, confusion clear on my face as he answered her. "Betty, I've got to try."

"You're not self-sacrificial," I said, catching Bruce and Betty's attention, though I only met his eyes. "You're supposed to run. You're supposed to protect yourself, I don't… Why are you doing this?"

The look on his face I doubted I would ever forget as it seared itself into my memory, along with his words. "The longer you run, the more of yourself you'll lose. I'm tired of losing myself." When I didn't respond, he turned back to Betty just long enough to place a gentle kiss on her lips before stepping backwards out of the helicopter and plummeting into the chaos below.

The fight between the Hulk and the Abomination was a blur of jumping along the rooftops and slamming each other into whatever hard surface they could find. After snapping out of his shock, Ross instructed the helicopter's gunner to help Bruce by shooting the Abomination.

I had never been the most helpful person, but sitting around doing nothing wasn't going to work for me in this situation. Staring through the windows with my palms pressed harshly against the glass, I kept my eyes trained on the Abomination and sunk into the depths of my mind.

"Come on," I growled under my breath, my knuckles becoming sore as my fingers tensed uncomfortably. "Work. _Please._ Work."

As if he had heard me, the Abomination turned to the helicopter after knocking the Hulk backwards and took a running leap, grabbing onto the helicopter's railing. My concentration was broken when everyone not buckled into their seats tumbled against the walls. The Hulk must have joined the Abomination in hanging off the aircraft, because they continued to shout incomprehensibly at each other as they rattled us around like pills in a bottle.

The lights fluttered on and off as sirens sounded, the weight of the men outside dragging us closer to the ground. Betty slid away from the back door as we tilted at another slope, slamming into my side and knocking us both into the General as our screams tangled into one loud cry for help.

The view outside the windows became engulfed in flame as we hit the ground, our cries silenced as we rolled until the helicopter was on its side. The world was black as I kept my eyes clenched shut, not wanting to see whether I was the only survivor.

"Sarah?"

A sigh of relief- a _cough_ of relief- as Betty's timid voice broke the silence. I opened my eyes, but soon wished I hadn't. The three soldiers accompanying us were laying in a pool of blood, the owner of which was impossible to tell. A glance to the right showed Ross's shoulder twitch, telling me that he was alive if nothing else. The pilot's neck was twisted at an unnatural angle as he was still strapped into his seat.

Finally, I turned to Betty, stretching out my sore arm to touch the tips of my fingers against hers. "I'm here," I assured her. "You're okay. We're okay."

She nodded, looking more like she was trying to convince herself than anything else that my words were true. After reaching out to squeeze my hand she turned to her father. "Dad? Are you all right?"

"Find a way out," he groaned, turning onto his other side. It didn't go unnoticed that he hadn't answered her question, and as she dragged herself over the soldiers' bodies towards him I worked on pushing myself into a standing position.

Just when I had gotten up to my knees the helicopter was shaken once more by a loud thud against the roof, knocking me back onto my hands. Glaring at the ceiling, I pushed myself up once more. This time I made it up to my unstable feet, gripping tightly to the walls as Betty mumbled assurances to the General.

It took a few tries, but eventually I was able to pull the emergency hatch open and peer outside. The Abomination pinned the Hulk against a crumbling wall, digging the mangled bones that stuck out of his skin into the Hulk's shoulders as he taunted him in a gravelly voice. "You don't deserve this power! Now, watch them die!"

I wondered why he wasn't coming closer if he intended to kill us, but sparks falling in front of my face told me exactly why. I followed the sparks down to the ground, and saw that they were landing dangerously close to the gasoline leaking out of the helicopter's fuel tank.

I turned to Bruce, panic in my eyes and clogging my throat. He reached out toward me, but was ultimately held back by a laughing Abomination. He wasn't going to help us.

I looked back over my shoulder at Betty fussing over her injured father, tears streaming down her ash-stained cheeks as she cradled his bleeding head in her lap, and at the corpses strewn across the floor. None of them were going to help either.

Turning back to the sparks and pushing my torso out of the helicopter as far as I could manage without falling out, I grit my teeth and balled my hands into tight fists.

My entire life had been shaped by my powers. Making me run, making me hide, making me a person I never wanted to be. They took my family from me, they forced me to a country that was not my home, they kept me from loving openly, and now they were going to up and run when I finally needed them to save not only myself, but two of the only people who had ever known what I was and been willing to look past it, to love and care for me regardless.

Never before had I truly wanted my powers, and never before had I truly needed them. But I wanted them now. I needed them now.

 _A woman. Her face was fuzzy, but her movements were clear as she bent down to my height and laid her firm hands on my cheeks, whispering. I didn't remember her words, or why she had said them. I didn't remember where she came from, or where I knew her from. Still, my chest swelled with determination as I nodded._

I blinked and the memory was gone. I had no idea what I had seen or why I was remembering it now, but when I refocused on the sparks in front of me none of that seemed to matter. My fingers had uncurled themselves, and the sparks stood still in the air above the gasoline.

The Abomination turned back when he didn't hear an explosion, and the Hulk took his confusion as an opportunity to overpower him. He pushed him back until he tripped over the rubble scattered across the ground before dropping on top of him and pounding his fists repeatedly into him. I kept my eyes trained on the sparks that had been frozen in time, unwilling to let go for fear of where they would fall.

I felt a hand on my shoulder then, and saw that Betty had finally left her father in favor of joining me. When she was the sparks hovering above the gasoline, she knit her eyebrows and turned to me with a question in her eyes. I didn't answer, unsure of how to explain at this time and place.

Thankfully she didn't press the matter, both of us turning to the Hulk as he shouted, "Hulk, _smash_!"

Threading his fists together and slamming them against the cement, his strength sent a shockwave of cracks towards the Abomination and caused him to fall forward with the chains he had picked up to swing at the Hulk slipping out of his hands and landing at the Hulk's feet.

Swinging them up, the Hulk rushed forward and wrapped them around the Abomination's throat, straining to choke his enemy out. Betty gasped before frantically climbing out of the emergency exit, nearly knocking me out of the hole as she clambered towards the fight.

"Betty! Wait!" I shouted, trying to stop her without having to release my hold on the sparks. She ignored me, running until she was only a few feet away from where the Hulk looked as if he was about to tear off the Abomination's head.

" _Stop!_ "

I hadn't seen the General stand up, but he was quick to follow after his daughter as the Hulk froze. He stood carefully behind her, watching. The Hulk huffed heavily before releasing his hold on the chains and tossing the unconscious Abomination to the side.

As reinforcements arrived, I used my free hand to push myself out of the helicopter. I landed unsteadily on my feet, staring at the gasoline the entire time to make sure I didn't set anything off. I kept the sparks in the air until I was able to kick a large piece of broken concrete on top of the gas, blocking it from the sparks as I finally released them. They landed harmlessly on the rock, allowing me to relax after having my powers returned to me.

I looked back to Betty and saw that she was standing only feet away from the Hulk, who was looking down at her with remarkably familiar eyes. They were Bruce's eyes, even if the color was different- filled with love, caring, and compassion. I watched as he reached a finger towards her cheek, touching her more gently than I would have thought was capable.

It wasn't until that moment that I realized I had been wrong. The Hulk wasn't a monster- not even close to one. He was just Bruce. Amplified, stronger, faster. But still Bruce.

Nobody made a move until a spotlight appeared above Bruce, shining down on him and causing him to flinch away from Betty. He looked to her for permission, and though I didn't hear it I knew she had given it to him as he cradled her face once more before running in my direction.

I knew that the longer he simply stood around, the easier it would be for them to catch up to him. So I turned from Bruce to the men staring coldly at him and swept my hand in a semi-circle, freezing them in place. The light stopped following him, the men stopped marching closer, and Betty stopped slowly reaching towards him. The only movement came from him as he glanced around, at first confused and then grateful.

"I can't hold them forever," I said quietly, feeling as though speaking too loudly would once again steal my powers away from me and prevent me from helping Bruce get away. "But I can give you a head start."

He smiled a distinctly Bruce smile then, brushing his unreasonably large hand against my shoulder. "Thank you." His voice was impossibly deep and almost difficult to understand, but there was no mistaking the sincere gratitude in his tone.

I knew that it would be unreasonable for me to ask him if I would ever see him again. I had disappeared on him in the first place, he had every right now to go into hiding and never speak to me again. I couldn't help but repeat his words though, a sad smile appearing on my lips. "Don't disappear on me, okay?"

He huffed in reply, rolling his eyes with a faint grin. "I'll take that as a promise," I replied before nodding away from the soldiers that had come to collect him. "Now get out of here, before these ungrateful idiots realize what's just happened."

There was only a moment of hesitation before he followed my advice, jumping atop the helicopter and using it as a springboard to leap from building to building. I waited until he was well out of sight to drop my hand, the spotlight moving frantically back and forth trying to see where Bruce had gone off to.

I watched as the confusion on Betty's face turned to realization, her eyes meeting mine before she turned to her father. The General didn't look happy. In fact, I forced myself to look away as his suspicious gaze was turned on me. Despite everything, he was still working with SHIELD.

I had given Bruce the chance to run, and now I had to make my own. Where I was running to was still undecided, but I was sure it would be no less interesting.


	16. October 2009

**October 12, 2009 – Puente Antiguo, New Mexico**

* * *

After smacking the side of my computer and grumbling to myself about how slow my internet was, I continued studying.

" _Silat is an ancient art with no clear beginning, though some masters believe it was created by watching the movements of animals. This makes sense because the fighting style is all about exploiting weaknesses in your enemy and incapacitating them as quickly as possible."_

Well, that sounded especially violent. Though I hadn't been stupid enough to go through my whole life without learning basic self-defense, my encounter with _him_ had opened my eyes to just how weak I truly was. Without my time shifting to stop _him_ from attacking me I had been utterly useless.

Even with my powers returned to me - yet another life mystery that I would undoubtedly never solve - I couldn't shake the feeling of weakness that had taken hold of me. Sure, with my persuasion it had been easy to convince Ross that I wasn't a threat. I had walked out of Harlem covered with bruises, but unfollowed.

It wasn't long after that I moved to New Mexico. I had lived a few towns over in Roswell back in the 50's, but I was sure that long enough had passed that nobody around here would recognize me. Even though it was a gorgeous desert town with very few people to dig into my past, that wasn't why I had chosen it.

"Jack, I didn't hire you so you could sit your ass at a computer all day."

I rolled my eyes before twisting in the seat to face an irritated looking Jane. "You didn't _hire_ me for anything. I'm an unpaid intern. Which I find insulting, by the way, seeing as I'm at least _as_ intelligent as you, if not more so."

Darcy snapped her fingers with a loud, " _Damn!_ " while Erik simply chuckled quietly to himself. Jane, who tried her best to look angry but couldn't seem to help the smallest smile, turned her back to continue her own research. "Yeah, well, you're the one who applied for the position. So suck it up."

Shrugging my shoulders, I turned back to the monitor in front of myself. It was true that I had practically begged for the position, even if I would never admit it. Coming to Jane after seeing her ad for an astrological science intern and meeting her for the first time was a memory I doubted I would soon forget.

* * *

 **July 2, 2009 – Puente Antiguo, New Mexico**

* * *

"Calm down," I mumbled to myself, shaking my hands free of their shakiness after knocking on the front door of the inconspicuous building. I had seen in the papers a while back now, and had finally worked up the courage to apply for the internship offered by Dr. Foster. After a few months of wandering with no specific place in mind, I had stumbled across the ad.

One thing that would never change about me across any number of personas was my adoration for science. So when I looked further into her theories, my fate had sealed itself. I simply had to work with her.

When the door opened, the woman I recognized as Jane Foster from the sparse photos I had been able to find of her stood before me with a mildly confused expression clouding her features. "Hello," she greeted cordially nonetheless. "Can I help you?"

"Hi," I smiled. "My name is Jackeline Wright. I'm here about the astrophysical internship?"

She seemed slightly taken aback, her eyebrows practically disappearing into her hairline as she stuttered. "Oh, you… Really? I - I didn't think anybody… Come in."

All I really understood was the last part, but it was enough for me to chuckle quietly to myself as I stepped past her and into the living room. It was bathed in orange light from the setting sun thanks to the large, westward facing windows. It was a quaint house, with eclectic furniture dotted around the small, open space.

Jane closed the door behind me before turning to face me, her hands clasped tightly in front of herself. "Well, Miss Wright – "

"Please, call me Jackeline."

"Jackeline. I should probably tell you that we've actually already accepted another applicant. The _only other_ applicant." She had muttered the last bit beneath her breath, and I pretended not to notice. I also wondered who she meant by 'we', but the fact that the slot had been filled was my main focus.

"Oh… How awkward," I chuckled nervously. "Still, I'd really appreciate the chance to work with you. I have, um… Where did I put it?" I opened the large bag I carried with me, rifling through clothing and other essentials until I found the slightly wrinkled piece of paper I thought I had tucked away neatly. "Here!"

Jane took the paper form my hands when I offered it, her eyes scanning the words as I explained them. "You could call it a résumé of sorts. As you can see, I already have my degrees in structural and neurobiology at the University of Sciences in Philadelphia. Oh, and molecular biophysics. I also studied genetic mutations, though that was more freelance than for an actual degree. I'll admit I've never closely worked with astrophysics or astronomy, but I would like nothing more than to learn."

"And all Darcy knows is politics," she scoffed quietly, shaking her head. I had no idea who or what she was talking about, though I could only assume she was referring to the applicant she had accepted. "This is certainly impressive, Jackeline. Of course, it's not completely up to me. I would have to consult with my colleague on whether or not we could bring you in."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I agreed placatingly. That was before I had known who her colleague was, and I quickly regretted my words when he came out after being called into the room.

 _I saw a tall man dressed in heavy clothing hurrying down a sidewalk, so I hurried to catch up to him. "Excuse me!"_

 _He turned back when I called out, offering me a polite smile. "Can I help you?"_

 _I walked around so that I was standing in front of him. "I hope so. My name's Sarah Hunt."_

 _"Erik Selvig," he introduced, shaking my hand. "How can I help you, Sarah?"_

Erik Selvig stood next to Jane now, having aged noticeably from the young doctor I had met briefly in 1991. His hair had greyed with wrinkles creasing his features, but the bright light that had stuck out to me all those years ago had remained the same as he smiled at me now after Jane introduced us. "Nice to meet you, Jackeline," he greeted easily, holding his hand out.

My smile was terse as I accepted his handshake with a short nod of my head. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Selvig."

My already tense shoulders only stiffened further as my voice seemed to trigger something in the back of his mind. His eyes became discerning as he studied me, pulling his hand back slowly only after I hurriedly released it. "Have we met?" Blunt – great.

"I don't believe so. I grew up around Philadelphia, so unless you ever visited Philly, I doubt we would have crossed paths."

He seemed to narrow his eyes for a moment – doing nothing to calm my heartbeat – before dropping the suspicion altogether and easily reverting into a relaxed stance. "Nope! Never been to Philly, though I hear it's a great city. Oh well. Must be my overactive imagination again."

* * *

 **October 12, 2009 – Puente Antiguo, New Mexico**

* * *

A smile played on my lips as I remembered how easily Erik had been willing to accept my weak excuse. He was an all too trusting man, that was for damned sure. Meeting Darcy had been another experience altogether, beginning with a riddle – "Why is a raven like a writing desk?" - and ending with a firm handshake followed by the worst attempt at a British accent I had ever heard.

Looking back over my shoulder at the comrades I had come to know, I thanked them silently yet again for accepting me with open arms.

I had only been with Jane and the others three short months now, but we worked well together. I hadn't come expecting to like them quite as much as I did, but reminding myself of the easy love between Bruce and Betty despite their differences kept me from uprooting yet again.

"Speaking of food," Darcy suddenly spoke up, shoving herself away from the couch and snatching a light jacket from the back of a nearby chair as she strolled towards the door. "I'm starving. Anyone else feeling Isabel's? I could really go for a 7:30 PM donut right now."

Jane sighed audibly, murmuring to herself about constantly being interrupted by the "useless political science major", while Erik only stood to wordlessly follow Darcy with a content grin. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged – a silent "What the hell?" – when Jane looked to me for backup, causing her to sigh yet again. It was a terrible habit of hers.

"Fine," she reluctantly agreed. "But I get first dibs on any chocolate covered sprinkles."

The four of us strolled down the sidewalk towards our frequented diner, Darcy and Jane engaging in their usual playful banter while Erik stared off in the sky with the same thoughtful face he sometimes adopted for seemingly no real reason. If you asked him about it, his usual response was to shake his head and write it off as him simply enjoying the finer things in life.

I observed my friends silently, resting my hands comfortably in my pockets. Despite the distinctly supernatural work that consumed most of our time, Jane, Darcy, and Erik were the most normal friends I'd ever had. Not to say I have the best track record with friends in the first place, but the childish way Darcy stuck her tongue out in response to one of Jane's lighthearted insults only confirmed my theory.

My life would never be normal – I had accepted that much.

I was going to continue to bend time to my will with a simple twitch of my fingers. People's choices would never be truly sacred as long as they were within arm's reach. Flashes of a faceless woman I had no recollection of ever meeting were going to continue to haunt my dreams, taunting my imperfect memory. Secret organizations were going to continue to hunt me down until the inevitable day arrived when I would lose the will to run.

Until that day came, however, I would live my life for myself. I would make friends. I would lose friends. I would learn the ways of this ever-changing world I had lived the equivalent of nearly three lifetimes on. I would adopt more names than I could remember.

And if in a world far, far away – so far it was nonexistent to the people of Midgard didn't even know it existed yet – a fair blond prince teased his raven-haired younger brother, coaxing a smile out of the sullen demigod for what was certainly the last time…

Well, I wouldn't learn about that for a while yet.

* * *

 **Have you guessed which timeline we'll be going into next? It's not as if I'm being completely obvious or anything.**

 **DING DING DING. If you guessed Thor, you are completely correct.**

 **This was more of a filler chapter – a bit of an in-between, if you will. Next chapter we will delve into the plot of Thor.** _ **We**_ **all know what happens, but Emma? She has no idea what's coming.**

 **Leave a review letting me know how you think she'll react to being thrown into yet another superhero story, how she and Thor will get along, how SHIELD will react to seeing her again… Pour your little reader hearts out, and I'll see you in the next one.**


	17. May 2010

**May 7, 2010 – Puento Antiguo, New Mexico**

* * *

I rubbed furiously at my eyes as a yawn escaped my lips, trying fruitlessly to rid the sleep from them while Erik and Jane argued over the timing of atmospheric disturbances. This wasn't the first time she had dragged us all out of bed, but it was the first time there was absolutely nothing to show for it. And as always, I had been picked as the driver.

"Jane, you can't keep doing this."

"The last _seventeen_ occurrences have been predictable to the second!"

I slapped the top of Darcy's hand when she reached for the radio. "Uh-uh. You know the deal, Lewis. No music until I have coffee."

"It isn't my fault Jane refused to let us get coffee before driving all the way out here," Darcy complained, cradling her hand in her lap as if I had seriously injured it. "You don't have to use your ninja moves on me just because you're cranky."

I rolled my eyes, but otherwise didn't respond to her whining. Ten months with a person really teaches you how to effectively tune them out, as it turns out.

When I finished rubbing my eyes yet again, I looked out the windshield and saw something that was most definitely not one of the disturbances we had seen before. Throwing my hand behind me, I grabbed Jane's arm and tugged her away from her confrontation with Erik. "Hey, check that out."

Jane brushed my hand off her arm before looking towards the sky, a huge smile breaking out over her face as the blue and green lights continued to flicker. Erik poked his head out of the sunroof, calling down to us, "I thought you said it was a subtle aurora!"

" _Go!_ "

Instinctively I pressed down on the gas, all thoughts of sleep abandoned in the dust behind us as we sped closer to the phenomenon. Erik was right – we weren't storm chasers – but I hadn't chosen New Mexico for the sand, that was for damn sure, and I wanted to see this thing.

"Are you insane?" Darcy yelled from the passenger seat, clinging to the door. "You want to get _closer_ to that thing?"

"Like you're one to talk about being insane," I yelled back as Jane shoved her arm in front of me. "Hey, watch out! The driver kind of needs to see, y'know!"

Jane's only response was to lift her arm slightly above my eyes, trying to angle the camera in her hand out the window to get a good video of the storm in front of us. It wasn't until she started laughing that I thought she might _actually_ be crazy, however.

Her laughter was quickly cut off by the lights transforming into what looked like a tornado, the wind swirling dangerously with the sand. As I tried to maneuver us safely through, I felt a hand cover mine over the steering wheel only a second before we were skidding to the left.

Jane slammed into my side and I heard Erik tumble in the back while I tried to push Darcy's hand off the wheel before she crashed the van. "Darcy, let go!"

"I am not dying for six college credits!"

We struggled over control of the wheel, each of us holding it with one hand and trying to force the other off. It wasn't until Jane joined the fray by calling us both idiots and adding her own hand onto the wheel that we finally stopped arguing – though not thanks to Jane.

The figure was only in front of us for a split second before we rammed into it was a hard _thump_ , spinning the van out of control. Our arguments died on our lips, replaced by shocked screams until the van finally skidded to a stop. The only sound was the thunder above us as we recovered from the shock. That was certainly… interesting, to say the least.

Jane was the first one out of the car, the rest of us quickly following after her. Darcy trailed behind Jane and I while Erik grumbled about working with a bunch of nutjobs. As the driver – even though I refused to take blame for what had just happened – I felt responsible and followed Jane to see what we had crashed into.

"I think legally that was your fault," Darcy called from behind me. "I mean, since you were in the driver's seat."

"Who was sitting in the – "

"Get the first aid kit," Jane told Darcy, cutting me off before I could finish my protest. She turned to the man on the ground then, using one hand to hold her hair out of her face while the other supported her leaning over him. "Do me a favor and don't be dead."

I moved to stand behind Jane, bending forward so that my palms rested on my knees. "He doesn't look dead, judging by all that twitching… He probably has a pretty nasty concussion, though. Wouldn't bet against a few broken bones. Some torn ligaments, sure, maybe even – "

"Thank you, Dr. Jack," Jane said sarcastically over her shoulder. "I'm sure he really wants to hear everything you broke right now."

"Hey, I wouldn't have crashed the van if I'd had coffee, so whose fault is it really?"

I had barely finished my rhetorical question before the man shoved himself to his feet, disproving my broken bone theory by walking around in circles. "Hammer? Hammer?"

"Yeah, we can tell you're hammered. It's pretty obvious."

Jane gasped, which I didn't really think was an appropriate reaction to Darcy's joke until she pulled all of us away from the delirious blond guy and pointed towards the ground. "Guys, look at this! We have to move quickly before this all changes. Here," she thrust the camera into my hands before kneeling in the sand and patting her pockets down looking for her pocketbook.

Erik placed a hand on her shoulder, pointing his flashlight towards the man. "Jane, we have to take him to the hospital."

"He's fine, look at him!"

"Heimdall, I know you can hear me! Open the Bifrost!"

"Hospital, right. You go, I'll stay."

When his cries went unanswered, the man turned back to us. "What realm is this? Alfheim? Nornheim?"

"New Mexico," Darcy answered before pulling something all too familiar out of the bag strapped across her shoulder and aiming it at the man.

"You dare threaten me, Thor, with so puny a weapon? How – "

I grabbed Darcy's arm when I realized what she was about to do, but it was too late. The man's – _Thor_ , apparently – knees buckled beneath his weight as he convulsed, leaving him to collapse yet again. Darcy seemed quite pleased with herself when he was subdued, while the rest of us could only sigh in irritation.

"I told you to leave the taser at the house," I groaned as Erik and I hoisted Thor off the ground, shuffling towards the van. "Sheriff Dunn isn't going to give it back this time."

"Only if you tattle."

Jane had reluctantly moved away from the markings on the ground – not before taking a few pictures, of course – and was climbing into the driver's seat as Darcy opened the back doors for Erik and I. "You can taser whoever you want," Erik sighed as we dropped Thor in the back before pushing him all the way in. "Just make sure they're already inside the car next time."

* * *

I tried to take a nap on the way to the hospital, but the large, unconscious man letting out pained moans every few minutes was a bit of a distraction. I had no idea who he was or what kind of drugs he must have had in his system that made him think chasing a storm in the middle of the desert with no equipment whatsoever had been a good idea, but I did know that I didn't especially care to find out.

"We are dropping him off and going home," I told Jane as she pulled into a parking spot marked 'Emergency'. "Preferably before the sun comes up, so I have an excuse to go back to bed."

"Just dropping off," she agreed with a nod as she turned the car off before handing me the keys. "Here. Stay in the car, make sure nobody tries to steal anything."

I rolled my eyes at her precaution, but took the keys anyway. Nobody had ever threatened to so much as touch her things before, as nobody else in Puente Antiguo was even remotely interested in astronomy, but she was still overly-protective over her handmade equipment.

Erik started to pull Thor out of the back as Jane and Darcy fetched a few nurses and a wheelchair to help bring him inside. While they made sure he was carefully situated inside the emergency room, I helped myself to rummaging through Darcy's bag and confiscating her taser. Thor hadn't been her first incident, and he certainly wouldn't be her last without an intervention.

It wasn't long before they returned, and we were on our way back to the house.

I tossed the keys on the coffee table before dropping face-first onto the couch, curling onto my side and cradling a pillow. I heard footsteps stop next to me, and before she even spoke I knew who it was. "You're not going to help me go through these pictures?"

With a groan I rolled onto my back so that I was facing Jane. "It was a magnetic storm that attracted high-velocity winds, which created a vortex. I was there. I don't need to see pictures, and neither do you."

"But these markings in the sand – "

"Might be completely coincidental." I shrugged before pulling the pillow over my face.

" _Or_ – " she ripped the pillow away from me, crossing her arms over her chest "– they might be indicative of a phenomenon that's only been theorized up to this point."

"You don't think it was just a magnetic storm?" Erik asked from his place next to our desks, a computer resting on each with Darcy having plopped back into her chair.

Jane shook her head as she glanced at me, dropping the pillow to walk towards her computer. Reluctantly I followed, wanting to see what she thought was so special even if I was practically dead on my feet. We all waited as she connected her camera to her computer, pulling up the grainy images she had taken and printing them out as she spoke. "Look here. The lensing around these images is characteristic of an Einstein-Rosen Bridge."

"A what?"

Erik looked confused for a second before he sighed. "I thought – oh, right. Political science… An Einstein-Rosen Bridge is a theoretical connection between two different points in the space-time – "

"It's a wormhole."

Darcy nodded her head at Jane's answer, as apparently that overly-simplistic answer was all she needed to be on board, before taking the images that Jane had printed and walking towards the corkboard on the other side of the living room. As Jane tried to explain her theory to Erik, I grabbed a box of thumbtacks and followed Darcy, curious to see what Jane saw in these pictures.

I handed her the tacks as she put up picture after picture, the event we had witnessed only hours prior being laid out before us in thermal imaging. It wasn't until Darcy held up the last image in the top right corner of the board, her hand out and waiting for me to place a tack in her palm, that I saw it.

Dropping the box in Darcy's waiting hand, I took the picture from her and narrowed my eyes at it. It couldn't be… It had to be coincidence, right? There was no way on Earth that I had fucked up so monumentally _again._

"Hey, let me see it!" Darcy reached out to take the photo back from me, but I held it out of her reach. If Jane saw this, there was no way I would be able to convince her –

The picture was snatched out of my hands, and before I could say a word Jane and Erik were inspecting the image. "Jane, I know what you're thinking, and I have to - "

"I think I left something at the hospital."


	18. May 2010 - Part 2

**May 7, 2010 – Puente Antiguo, New Mexico**

* * *

Possibility Number One.

This was absolutely nothing. A fluke. An error. A shadow cast by the dust swirling through the storm, conveniently shaped like the man we had just dropped off at the hospital – not the man himself. Jane would study Thor only to find that he was nothing more than a drunk or a druggie. Given time he was sure to sober up, at which time he would tell us his real name before being promptly escorted out the door. We would go about as usual with Jane complaining that she had been _this close_ to a real breakthrough as the rest of us sipped coffee and ate donuts.

Possibility Number Two.

Thor was insane, and the hospital would refuse to release him into the care of people who had admitted to not only never meeting him before, but their first encounter with the man being running him over in the middle of the desert with no apparent explanation as to why they were there. He would be transferred to their psych ward, we would all move on with Jane complaining that she had been _this close_ – and so on.

Possibility Number Three.

My killer instincts that somehow always, inevitably manage to drag my sorry ass back into a mix of the supernatural and all-around fucked up had worked its magic again. Thor was who he claimed to be – whoever that was, as he hadn't really explained himself well – and had been successfully transported through a wormhole from who-knows-where. Jane would be ecstatic, Erik would have a never-ending stream of questions, Darcy would continue to fawn over him, and me? I would be on the run. _Again._

For a reason that seems far too obvious to state, Possibility Number Three seemed the most likely for me. I had not taken the odds well.

The corkboard that had been littered with theories and photos that had crashed to the floor long ago scraped against the floor as I righted it with a sigh, not wanting the others to see any evidence of my anger at the situation. While they had all returned to the hospital to retrieve Jane's evidence, I had stayed behind.

" _You need to let this go," I pleaded with Jane, taking a firm hold of her arm to keep her from marching out the front door. She turned on me with wide eyes, a scoff passing through her lips as she pulled away from me._

" _Are you insane, Jack? This is everything I've worked for – everything_ _ **we**_ _have worked for! And you want me to just_ _ **let it go**_ _?"_

" _We don't know anything about this guy! He could be dangerous, he could – "_

" _If you're so afraid of him, you are more than welcome to stay behind. But I'm going. Period."_

Jane's eyes had sparked first with confusion, then anger, and finally disappointment before she had continued on her war path towards the van. Erik had laid a comforting hand on my shoulder as he brushed past me, patting a few times for good measure. It hadn't been surprising. He had known Jane far longer than he had known me, and would follow her to the ends of the earth to help her with her research. Darcy had faltered between following after them and staying behind with me, though ultimately she had decided to go, mouthing a quick apology on her way out the door.

Which is how I ended up alone in the house, and how the living room had quickly become a victim of my anger. The damage was minimal – nothing that couldn't be fixed within minutes – but I still felt childish for lashing out in the first place. Of course they would all want to chase down this lead. They knew nothing of the dangers that awaited them, especially if _he who shall not be named_ decided he wanted to throw his hat into the mix.

While I brooded over my terrible life choices, I also went about cleaning up after myself. With the corkboard once again where it belonged, I swept the papers littered on the floor back into my hands before returning them to their rightful desks.

"Stupid scientists always thinking they know what's best," I grumbled to myself. "Need to stop associating myself with these people. Only ever gets me into more trouble..."

I had just finished righting my anger-fueled mess when the door opened again, Jane entering the house first with the tall blond man following closely behind her. I didn't catch Erik or Darcy's apologetic glances due to my eyes being firmly glued on the very clearly confused man squinting his eyes at his new surroundings. If I was going to see this through, I was going to be sure that he didn't pose any threat to the people I had come to care for over these last few months.

"Thor, this is Jack," Jane introduced, her gaze never truly landing on me as she waved in my direction - which meant she was still angry at me from earlier. Wonderful. "Jack, you remember Thor."

"Mm," I hummed noncommittally. Thor merely nodded to me with a tight, uncomfortable smile before following Jane to the bathroom where she handed him a pair of jeans with the promise of scrounging up a shirt he could wear other than his current hospital attire.

I moved to join Darcy on the couch when she refused to stop sending lost puppy looks my way, raising an eyebrow as her signal to get it over with.

"I'm sorry," she pouted. "I didn't want to leave you here all by yourself, but you know I can't just let Jane chase adventure without me. Honestly, I was surprised you even stayed behind. But that's not the point! My point is that I wish you had come with us, or that I had stayed with you because leaving you alone after your argument with Jane was a total bad-friend-move. But you did steal my taser, so you can't be too mad at me."

It was an apology I could only ever expect from the college student, which made a grin twitch at my lips. "I'm not mad, D. Alone time was exactly what I needed, so if anything you did me a favor."

"Awesome! Does that mean I can get my taser back?"

"Absolutely not."

Her beam quickly reverted back into a sour expression while I just chuckled at her unpredictable mood swings. It wasn't so unpredictable, however, when her eyes trailed away from me and to Thor standing in the doorway of the bathroom, widening as a smirk settled on her lips. "You know, for a crazy homeless person, he's pretty cut."

I glanced at Thor from over my shoulder, my eyebrows practically burying themselves in my hairline. "Maybe he lost all his money in protein powder investments and gym memberships."

Darcy and I continued to stare at the blond with matching expressions of approval as Jane stuttered out an explanation for the nametag on the shirt she had given him, chuckling nervously as she wadded it up and tossed it in a nearby trash can. He didn't seem to understand her flimsy explanation, but didn't push for clarification before slipping the shirt over his torso and walking towards the open kitchen. "This mortal form has grown weak. I require sustenance."

"Finally somebody around here makes sense," I agreed, pushing away from the couch to follow Thor into the kitchen. "I've been trying to get food into my rumbling stomach for a good six hours now. Unfortunately, we don't have any food except those nasty strawberry… Pop-Tarts…"

My words slowly trailed off as I watched Thor rustle through our empty cabinets before finally finding the box I had mentioned, ripping the cardboard open without a second thought. The silver packaging proved to be no tougher than paper in his hands, easily being abandoned on the floor before he crammed the treats into his mouth.

Glancing back into the living room, I saw that I wasn't the only one baffled by this stranger's actions. In a matter of moments Thor managed to eat three of the four packages in the box, readily tearing into the fourth after brushing the bread crumbs from his borrowed shirt. It wasn't until then that he seemed to notice our puzzled stares.

His chewing slowed as the realization dawned on him that he was acting oddly, and thankfully he waited until he had swallowed to speak. "You are all staring… I am uncomfortable."

His voice seemed to shake us all out of our reverie – whether that had been his intent or not – and soon Jane had marched forward with a harsh sigh to snatch the box from his hands while Erik simply shook his head in amazement and Darcy chuckled, muttering to herself about finally meeting somebody who could match her appetite.

Jane peered inside the box only to find it empty, which made her sigh yet again before dropping it into the trash bin. "Well, then. I guess we're going out for breakfast. Jack – "

Before she could say another word my finger flew up to my nose as I shook my head vehemently. "Nope. Not driving."

Darcy and Erik were quick to follow my lead, which made Jane sputter out nonsense about working with children. She took the time to shoot a disapproving glare at each of us before waving towards the door. "Come on, then. Izzy's it is."

* * *

I had never appreciated a good mug of Isabel's coffee as much as I did in that moment. With both hands wrapped firmly around the steaming mug, I let my eyes slide closed with a content inhale. If I had to choose a happy place, this would be it.

"What were you doing in the middle of the desert?" Jane asked Thor, barely having touched her food as she continued to shoot rapid fire questions his way. "Where did you come from? Have you been to New Mexico before? How did you get inside that cloud?"

"Also, how could you eat an entire box of Pop-Tarts and still be this hungry?" Darcy chimed, speaking around the slice of bacon she had just shoved between her lips. I slapped her hand as she reached for the toast on my plate, causing her to yank it back with a disappointed groan.

Instead of answering, Thor merely continued to work on the stack of pancakes in front of him. I had to give him props – even I couldn't eat half as much as him on my best day. And if I was just a little jealous that he could eat that many carbs and still have the body he did, then I would just keep that to myself.

After finishing off yet another pancake, Thor tipped his head back to chug the liquid in his mug. He stared appreciatively at the glass, nodding his head to himself. "This drink, I like it."

"Coffee," I informed him with a nod of my own. "A.k.a, my lifeblood."

The sound of the ceramic smashing against the linoleum flooring caused all of us to jump in surprise, including a few of the other early morning visitors in the diner and the owner of the establishment herself. " _Another!_ "

Jane called out her apologies to Izzy while hurrying out of her seat to clean up Thor's mess. "Dude," I said while shooting him a disbelieving look that he returned with one of confusion. "Junkie space-traveler or not, that was just rude."

"I wanted another," he said as if that was explanation enough for his actions.

"Then ask," Jane corrected him. "Nicely! No more smashing. Deal?"

It took him a moment to answer as his expression slowly transitioned from unsure to resigned, accompanied by an easy smile. "You have my word."

Jane nodded in acceptance, dumping the broken shards of his mug into her napkin that she rolled into a ball as she returned to her seat. It seemed she had been doing little else other than cleaning up after her 'evidence' since stealing him back from the hospital.

Thanks to his little display, I had missed two new occupants joining us in the diner and seating themselves up at the bar – though I doubted I would have missed their entrance regardless. Their conversation seemed unimportant to me, especially considering I was still keeping the majority of my attention on Thor. As long as we planned on keeping him around, I wanted to be sure he kept himself under the radar from now on.

Jane had other ideas, apparently. "Excuse me, did you say there was a satellite crash?"

I watched with a roll of my eyes as Darcy snap a picture of Thor on her phone, mentioning posting him on Facebook, while Jane gave her full attention to the two men ramble on about some unmovable satellite that had crashed out in the middle of the desert. It wasn't until they mentioned the fact that nobody had been able to lift it that Thor took an interest, an odd smirk growing on his lips as he suddenly stood from the table and went to join the men at the bar.

"Which way?" he asked, grasping the man's shoulder. The rest of us at the table exchanged curious glances before slowly standing, Erik being sure to drop some cash on the table when the man informed Thor the crash was fifty miles west of the diner which caused him to hurry out of the diner.

"What is with this guy and running into the street?" I huffed in annoyance to no one in particular as a truck slammed on its brakes before it could ram into the blond man, honking loudly. We were rushing out of the diner after Thor, but I froze at the rear of the group at the last parting comment of the man in the baseball cap.

"I wouldn't waste my time. Looked like the whole damn Army was coming when we left!"

I faltered in the doorway for a moment before turning back into the diner and walking up to the man, hitting him with my best authoritative look. "Are you sure it was the Army?"

He shrugged lightly as if it wasn't a big deal – which it may not have been to him, but to me it potentially risked everything. "Would'a been my guess. Couple'a guys in suits, couple in uniforms. One or two tanks rolled in."

"Did any of them give you their names?" I pressed, gripping his shoulder as Thor had only a moment ago to try and communicate how dire the situation was. When he shook his head, I subconsciously tightened my fingers around his shoulder. "What did the person in charge look like? Was he some old guy who looked like he had too many sticks up his ass for his own good, or a scary dude in an eye patch?"

The worried look he shot me was enough to tell me that he thought I was crazy – meaning no, he hadn't seen either of them. Without bothering to wait for his actual answer, I sighed in frustration and took off after the rest of my group. The fact that he hadn't seen Ross or Fury was little comfort. It was possible he simply hadn't seen them. Even if they weren't there personally, it didn't mean it wasn't their organizations that had come to inspect the "satellite".

If either of them were involved, it would mean two things. One, that I was going to have to get the hell out of dodge _again_. Two, that there was more to Thor than we had originally believed.

Oh, how I hoped they weren't involved.

* * *

 **Just a bit of a filler chapter, unfortunately, though I hope you enjoyed it regardless! Next chapter we see just who set up camp around that "satellite", which involves seeing a few of Emma's old friends. Fun times ahead... :)**


	19. May 2010 - Part 3

**May 7 2010 – Puente Antiguo, New Mexico**

* * *

I wasn't exactly sure why Thor was kissing Jane's hand when I caught up to them, but her breathy giggles seemed inconsequential compared to what I had just learned. Strolling up next to Erik and Darcy, the three of us watched impatiently for Jane to finish doting on the blond man.

After dropping her hand, Thor turned to the three of us with a nod in each of our directions. "Erik Selvig. Darcy. Jack. Farewell."

"Wait, he's leaving?" I whispered in question to nobody in particular, a bit out of the loop. "Again?"

"It's better this way," Erik said in way of an answer. "Time to get back to work."

Judging by the way he had stormed out of the cafe after hearing about the supposed satellite in the desert, I could only assume that he was headed that way. I had no direct interest in being anywhere near that area, but it still felt a bit wrong to let him face that battle on his own. This was better, though. At least for us.

Ignoring the heavy feeling in my gut, I turned on my heel to follow after Erik with Jane and Darcy catching up to stand on either side of us. It was only a short walk back to the house, but with each of us lacking any energy whatsoever it seemed as if we were in the last stretch of a marathon.

"I need a nap," Darcy sighed glumly on my left, confirming my theory that I wasn't the only one of us ready to forget today ever happened. "And maybe some booze. Do we still have the vodka from your birthday, Erik?"

"If we're lucky," he breathed hopefully.

"I thought it was time to get back to work?" I joked half-heartedly, though the end of my sentence was drowned out by the sound of Jane shouting, "Wait, that's my stuff!"

All eyes turned to the truck driving past us as Jane sprinted towards it, clutching at the dust it left behind. One of Jane's homemade weather pattern detectors sat in the bed of the truck as it sped away – and it wasn't the only one.

None of us were as fast as Jane in hurrying back to the house at the end of the street, wanting to stop any further interference into our investigations. When I spotted the large black SUV surrounded by men and women in finely tailored suits, however, I slowed to a stop just outside the doors. Ross's men didn't wear suits, they wore combat gear. Which meant it was the people I wanted to deal with even less.

A familiar face stepped into our line of sight and my immediate reaction was to duck behind Erik's tall frame, grumbling to myself about how much I absolutely loathed SHIELD as he introduced himself. "Miss Foster, I'm Agent Coulson with SHIELD."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me? You can't do this!"

I resisted the urge to latch onto Erik's shirt as he stepped away from me and closer to Jane, leaving me exposed. It would have been naïve of me to think that the sudden appearance of another person would have been overlooked by the senior SHIELD agent – which is why it was no surprise when his eyes met mine while Erik pulled Jane to the side, muttering warnings in her ear.

In the time that I had known him, I could count on one hand all the times I had seen Phil Coulson allow his emotions to slip onto his face. Standing there, staring at me after my disappearance six years ago, was one of those times. It was only a small twitch of confusion that quickly melted into a knowing grin, but it was enough for me to know that there was no chance he hadn't recognized me.

" _Let it go_?" Jane practically shrieked, marching towards the SUV that contained whatever research the other trucks had left behind. "This is my life!"

"We're investigating a security threat," Coulson explained calmly, allowing his eyes to linger on me for just a moment more before following after Jane. "We need to appropriate your records and all your atmospheric data."

"By _appropriate_ do you mean _steal_?" Erik placed a calming hand no Jane's shoulder as he and Darcy moved to stand by her side, but she just shrugged it off. I stood quietly behind the group, knowing that I had already been seen but hoping that if I was quiet Coulson wouldn't say anything to them about knowing me.

Holding out a slip of paper towards Jane, Coulson motioned for the man who had been loading the van to continue his work. "Here. This should more than compensate you for your trouble."

"I can't just buy replacements at Radio Shack," Jane argued, crumpling the paper in her hands before dropping it in the dirt. "I made most of this equipment myself!"

"And I'm sure you can make it again," Coulson insisted before glancing once more in my direction. "Unless, of course, we could reach a different agreement."

I didn't like the way he was looking at me, but Jane jumped at the opportunity to preserve her experiments. "What agreement?"

"We need your research," Coulson maintained. "Not forever, just for the time being. If it would make you more comfortable, one of your friends can come with us and... look after it, so to speak. As a show of good faith."

Despite the illusion of choice, I knew Coulson wouldn't let just _one_ of Jane's friends go with him – or none of us. This was his way of bringing me along for the ride while appearing to be generous instead of simply demanding I return with him. Though I had no interest whatsoever in joining him, I also knew that I no longer had a say in the matter. That much was clear in his unblinking gaze firmly trained on my own.

"I'll go," I volunteered before any of the others could either do the same or reject his offer altogether. It was difficult to ignore their looks of disbelief as I stepped around them to stand face-to-face with Coulson, but I made it a point to do so anyway. "But only if you promise to return everything the moment you're finished with it."

His grin slipped into a smirk at my demand, but he nodded regardless. "Of course."

"Jackeline, you can't." Erik gripped my shoulder, turning me to face him and the others with a worried expression consuming his features. "I know you just want to help, but you don't know these people. We can't trust them."

My defiant frown twitched upwards into a small, but genuine smile of gratitude at his words, my hand covering his own on my shoulder. This wouldn't be the first time I had used my influence over one of them, but I had never enjoyed using my abilities on people I cared for. "I don't have a choice. You have to let me go."

His tense hold on my shoulder loosened almost imperceptibly as he blinked, his worry falling into compliance. Before I could regret my decision, I pulled away from the group to walk with Coulson towards a separate car. "Don't worry," I called back to them with a smile that held more confidence than I felt. "I'll handle this. Everything's gonna be fine."

It occurred to me as Coulson ushered me into the backseat of the SUV that it would be just as easy to convince him to return all of Jane's belongings and leave as it had been for me to convince Erik to let me go. If I did it to him, however, not only would I have to do it to every SHIELD agent keeping their ever vigilant gazes on us, but it would look a little odd for him to so suddenly change his mind.

Even if neither of those things were a problem, I had to admit that I was a bit curious. My insatiable curiosity had gotten me into more than a bit of trouble over the years, yet I still couldn't help but wonder what was stranded out in the middle of the desert that SHIELD was so interested in.

"Jackeline?"

Coulson's voice from the front passenger seat shook me from my thoughts. Glancing at the rearview mirror, I saw that he was shooting me an unimpressed look. "I happen to like it," I said in answer to his unasked question. His only response was to return his gaze to the dirt road ahead of us, the car returning to silence.

It wasn't exactly a comfortable ride with three SHIELD agents casting wary looks my way every few seconds, but I managed to remain calm on the outside as we drove into the desert. It wasn't a long drive, but by the time the large white tents and plastic tubes came into view the sun had already begun to dip below the horizon.

Coulson was the first to climb out of the car when we parked among the row of other empty vehicles. Before I had the chance to even lift my hand he had opened my door for me with a polite smile, gesturing with his hand for me to follow behind him. "You can stop the theatrics now," I said, though I did as he instructed. Trailing behind him, I scanned the surrounding area as a gut instinct, looking for the best escape routes. "It's a bit insulting, actually, being treated like a common criminal."

"If I was treating you like a common criminal, you wouldn't be conscious right now." Coulson threw the flap of the main tent open, this time motioning for me to enter first. "I also wouldn't have let your friends think that your coming here was your own choice. If anything, you're our guest of honor tonight, Emma."

"Right," I scoffed, his idea of generosity sparking my rebellious side. "Emma. That's the name you lot use for me. I never did tell you my real name, did I?" Coulson's grin remained firmly in place as he returned to his place in front of me, leading me further into SHIELD's clutches. "Fury knew my name. Maybe he didn't think it was worth sharing."

"Maybe," Coulson conceded as he pulled open the only door in sight that was black instead of a simple white opening. Eyeing him warily, I stepped slowly through the door as he followed before closing it behind us. "Or maybe he thought it useless information."

I ignored his last comment – though a small part of me agreed – in favor of pointing out the lone chair in the otherwise empty room. "Were you planning on meeting somebody tonight?"

"That information is classified."

"Maybe the owner of the satellite?" I nodded to myself when he remained silent, taking that as confirmation. "I figured SHIELD might be involved in that mess. The townspeople were causing a bit of a fuss about the army coming in. The army doesn't deal with the supernatural mumbo-jumbo though… Nope. That falls under the jurisdiction of you power-mongers."

"How has life on the run been treating you?" Coulson asked, clearly avoiding the topic of the crashed object completely. Whether or not he was trying to get under my skin was still to be seen, but my chips were on _yes_. "I hope you haven't been getting into too much trouble."

"No trouble. I'm pretty good at staying under the radar."

Coulson nodded silently for a moment while crossing his arms loosely over his stomach, his eyes falling to the floor for a brief moment before turning back up to me. "Even General Ross's?"

I'd had a lot of practice in keeping my features schooled into a look of concealed boredom when I wanted them to be, but it was a bit more of a challenge to keep up the façade then. Any minuscule twitch I might have shown, Coulson would have seen. It was impossible for me to read him and know if he could tell I was about to lie, but I was willing to risk it. "Is that name supposed to mean something to me?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," he shrugged. "Whatever you believe, there's a lot about SHIELD you don't know. Like the fact that – after multiple failed attempts to locate Bruce Banner – he approached SHIELD to help find him. He told us this unbelievable story about a woman who could freeze fire in mid-air when she thought he wasn't looking, and the same woman disappearing in the blink of an eye after the Battle of Harlem… You wouldn't know anything about a woman like that, would you?"

Refusing to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat, I hoped that my face still looked as stony as I meant for it to. "Sounds like a ghost story if you ask me."

Coulson smirked at my response, but didn't argue. "That's what we told him. Still think you've been treated like a common criminal?"

I didn't have the chance to answer before the door was pushed open, a man's voice entering the room just before his head poked around the corner. "Sir, we have a breach on the eastern perimeter. How would you – oh."

The agent trailed off mid-question when he finally spotted me. I could tell by the awkward way his lips twitched that he wasn't sure if he should smile or not, so I made the decision for him by offering my own smile. "Nice to see you again, Clint."

"Lock down the exterior fences," Coulson instructed, turning on his heel to exit the room. Clint nodded in acceptance, standing to his full height. Throwing a quick grin in my direction, he pivoted on his heel while relaying Coulson's orders to the agents who had been standing guard at the door.

Coulson moved to follow after the archer, but paused just at the doorway to glance at me once more over his shoulder with his signature cryptic smile. "Stay here, would you? I'll be right back."

As the door closed behind him with two clicks – the first indicating that it had been closed fully and the second being what I could only assume was a lock slipping into place – I wondered if Coulson thought that he was clever for phrasing that like a question.

* * *

 **Well, hello there!**

 **I know, I know. It's been** _ **far**_ **too long. Don't hit me, I bruise easily!**

 **I apologize for the long wait, but for a while there I simply lost the motivation to write this story. I couldn't get the beginning the way I wanted it** _ **at all**_ **and eventually gave up trying, and just never came back. For that – I'm sorry!**

 **But we're back in action now, coming to a close on the Thor storyline. And the next movie in the queue is, of course, Avengers! I know I've been very hush-hush about Emma's involvement in the MCU, so I hope you're all excited to see more of her going forward.**

 **As this update took** _ **two months**_ **to get out, I promise to have another chapter up in at least half that time. See you then, my lovelies.**


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